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MISS BEECHER'S 



HOUSEKEEPER 



AND 



HEALTHKEEPER: 

CONTAINING ^^ 

FIVE HUNDRED RECIPES 

FOR 

ECONOMICAL AND HEALTHFUL COOKING; 

ALSO, 

MANY DIRECTIONS FOR SECURING HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. 

APPROVED BY PEYSWIANS OF ALL CLASSES. 




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NEW YORK: / 
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 
1873. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 

Harper & Brothers, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



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N. 



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CONTENTS. 



PAKT FIKST. 

CHAPTER I. 

HEALTH, ECONOMY, AND PLEASURE IN FOOD. 

Rules of Health in regard to Food and Drink — Measures used in Cook- 
ing Page 15 

CHAPTER II. 

MARKETING AND THE CARE OP MEATS. 

Marketing— Beef— Different "Cuts," etc.— Veal— Mutton— Pork— Poultry 
— Fish — Shell-fish — Care of Meats — To salt down Beef— To cleanse Calf's 
Head and Feet — To prepare Rennet — To salt down Fish — To try out 
Lard — Molasses-cured Hams — Brine for coming Hams, Beef, Pork, etc. 
— Another — Brine by Measure — To salt down Pork — To prepare Cases 
for Sausages — Sausage Meat — Another Recipe — Bologna Sausages — To 
smoke Hams.... 18 

CHAPTER III. 

STEWS AND SOUPS. 

New Soup and Stew Kettle — General Directions — Stews : of Beef and Po- 
tato ; Mutton and Turnip, (French;) Simple Mutton; Beef, with vegeta- 
ble flavors ; Fowl, A\'ith Celeiy or Tomatoes — Irish Stew — Veal Stew — 
Another — Pilaff (Turkish) — Rice or Hominy Stew — English Beef Stew — 
Pot au Feu (French) — 011a Podrida (Spanish) — French Mutton Stew — 
French Modes of Cooking — Flavors — Soup Powder 28 

CHAPTER IV. 

SOUPS. 

General Directions — Soup Stock — Soup of Potato — Plain Beef — Rich Beef — 
Green Pea — Dried Bean or Pea — Clam — Vegetable and Meat for Sum- 
mer — Dried Pea, with salt Pork — Dried Bean or Pea, with Meat stocks 
Mutton— Vegetable (French)— Plain Calf's Head— Simple Mutton ... . 35 



4 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. 

HASHES. 

Four "Ways of spoiling Hashes— Hashes : of Fresh Meats, seasoned ; Cold 
fresh Meats and Potatoes ; Meat, with Eggs ; Meat, with Tomatoes ; Beef; 
Veal ; Rice and cold Meats ; Bread-crumbs and cold Meats ; Another ; 
Cold Beefsteak ; Same, with Potatoes and Turnips ; Cold Mutton or Ven- 
ison; Corned Beef; Cold Ham — Meats warmed over — To Cook cold 
Meats — Cold meat Hash — Souse — Tripe Page 39 

CHAPTER VI. 

BOILED MEATS. 

To Cook tough Beef — Boiled Ham — Beef — Fowls — Fricasseed Fowls — To 
boil Leg or Shoulder of Veal, Mutton, or Lamb — Calf's Feet — Calf's Liver 
and Sweet-breads — Kidneys — Pillau — Smoked Tongue — Corned Beef — 
Partridges or Pigeons — Ducks — Turkey 43 

CHAPTER VII. 

ROAST AXD BAlvED MEATS. 

The best Beef — Brown Flour for Gravies— Roast Beef — To roast in a Cook- 
stove — Roast Pork ; Mutton ; Veal ; Poultry — Pot-pie of Beef, Veal, or 
Chicken — Mutton and Beef Pie — Chicken-pie — Rice Chicken-pie — Potato- 
pie— Calf 's Head 46 

CHAPTER VIII. 

BROILED AND FRIED MEATS AND RELISHES. 

Boiled Mutton or Lamb Chops ; Beefsteak ; Fresh Pork ; Ham ; Sweet- 
breads ; Veal — Pork Relish — Fiying — Calf's or Pig's Liver — Beef Liver — 
Egg Omelet — Frizzled Beef— Veal Cheese — Codfish ReUsh — Another — 
Salt Herrings 50 

CHAieTER IX. 

PICKLES. 

General Directions— Sweet Pickles — To pickle Tomatoes ; Peaches ; Pep- 
pers ; Nasturtions ; Onions ; Gherkins ; Mushrooms ; Cucumbers ; Wal- 
nuts ; Mangoes ; Cabbage — To prepare Tomatoes for eating — Martinoes — 
Spiced Cucumber Pickles — Indiana Pickles — Cauliflower or Broccoli... 52 

CHAPTER X. 

SAUCES AND SALADS. 

Milk and Egg Sauce— Dra^vn Butter— Mint Sauce— Cranbeny Sauce— Ap- 
ple Sauce — Walnut or Butternut Catsup — Mock Capers — Salad Dressing — 
Turkey or Chicken Salad— Lettuce Salad— Tomato Catsup 56 



COJSTTENTS. 5 

CHAPTER XI. 

FISH. 

Oysters, Stewed ; Fiied ; Scalloped ; Broiled — Oyster Fritters — Oyster Ome- 
let — Pickled Oysters — Roast Oysters — Scallops — Clams — Clam Chowder 
— ^Fish, Boiled; Broiled; Baked — Pickle for cold Fish Page 58 

CHAPTER XII. 

VEGETABLES. 

General Remarks — Potatoes — Old Potatoes — Potato Puffs — Sweet Potatoes 
— Green Corn — Succotash — Oyster-plant or Salsify — Egg-plant — Carrots 
— Beets — Parsnips — Pumpkin and Squash — Celery — Radishes — Onions — 
Tomatoes — Cucumbers — Cabbage and Cauliflower — Asparagus — Maca- 
roni—Eggs 60 

CHAPTER XIII. 

FAMILY BREAD. 

General Remarks — Fine and unbolted Flour — Middlings — Kneading — ^Yeast: 
Hop and Potato ; Potato ; Hard — Bread : of fine Flour ; of middling 
or unbolted Flour ; raised with "Water ; Rye and Indian ; Third ; Rye ; 
Oat-meal ; Pumpkin ; Apple ; Corn-meal — Sweet Rolls of Corn-meal — 
Soda Biscuit — Yeast Biscuit — Potato Biscuit — Buns G4 

CHAPTER XIV. 

BREAKFAST AND SUPPER. 

General Supplies — Receipts for Coni-meal — Hominy — Rice — Economical 
Bi-eakfast Dish — Biscuits of sour Milk and Flour — Pearl or cracked Wheat 
-7-Rye and Corn Meal — Oat-meal — Wheat Muffins — Sally Lunn, improved 
— Cream Griddle-cakes — Royal Crumpets — Muffins — Waffles — Drop-cakes 
— Sachem's Head Cora-cake — Rice Waffles — A Rice Dish — To use cold 
Rice — Buckwheat Cakes — Cottage Cheese 70 

CHAPTER XV. 

PUDDINGS AND PIES. 

Sweet Food, Remarks — Queen of all Puddings — Flour Pudding — Flour and 
Fruit Pudding — Rusk and Milk — Rusk Pudding — Meat and Rusk Pud- 
ding — A good Pudding — Pan Dowdy — Coni-meal Pop-over — Best Ap- 
ple-pie — Puddings : of Rice ; Bread and Fruit ; Boiled Fruit — Curds (En- 
glish) — Common Apple-pie — Plain Custard — Another — Mush or Hasty 
Pudding — Stale Bread Pudding — Rennet Wine — Rennet Custard — Bird's- 
nest Pudding — IVIinute Pudding of Potato Starch — Tapioca Pudding — 
Cocoa-nut Pudding — New-England Squash or Pumpkin Pie — Ripe-fruit 
Pies : Peach, Cherry, Plum, Currants, and Strawberiy — Mock Cream — 
Pudding of Bread-crumbs and Fniit — Bread and Apple Dumplings — Indian 



6 CONTENTS. 

Pudding withoutEggs — Boiled Indian and Suet Pudding — Dessert of Rice 
and Fruit — Another — Cold Rice and stewed or grated Apple — Rich Plour 
Pudding — Apple-pie — Spiced Apple-tarts — Baked Indian Pudding — Ap- 
ple Custard — Macaroni or Vermicelli Pudding — Green-com Pudding — 
Bread Pudding for Invalids or young Children — A good Pudding — Loaf 
Pudding — Lemon Pudding — Green-corn Patties — Cracker Plum-pudding 
— Sauces for Puddings, Liquid — Hard — Another — A healthful Sauce — 
Universal Sauce — Paste for Puddings and Pies — Pie-crusts without Pats ; 
made with Butter, very rich Page 74 

CHAPTER XVL 

CAKE. 

General Directions. — Cake raised with Powders — One, two, three, four Cake 
— Chocolate; Jelly; Orange; Almond and Cocoa-nut. — Cake raised with 
Eggs — Pound Cake ; Plain ; Fruit ; Huckleberry ; Gold and Silver ; Rich 
Sponge; Plain Sponge — Gingerbread, etc. — Aunt Esther's Gingerbread — 
Sponge Gingerbread — Ginger Snaps — Seed Cookies — Fried Cakes. — Cakes 
raised with Yeast — Plain Loaf-cake — Rich Loaf-cake — Dough-cake — 
Icing for Cake 85 

CHAPTER XVIL 

PRESERVES AND JELLIES. 

General Directions — Canned Fruit — To clarify Sirups for Sweetmeats — 
Brandy Peaches — Peaches (not rich) — Peaches (elegant) — To preserve 
Quinces whole — Quince Jelly — Calf-foot Jelly — To preserve Apples — Pears 
— Pine-apples — Purple Plums, No. 1 and No. 2 — White or green Plums 
— Citron Melons — Strawberries — Blackberry Jam — Currants to eat with 
Meat — Cherries — Currants — Raspberry Jam, No. 1 and No. 2 — Currant 
Jelly — Quince Marmalade — Water-melon Rinds — Preserved Pumpkin . 90 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

DESSERTS AND EVENING PARTIES. 

Ice-cream — Strawberry Ice-cream — Ice-cream without Cream — Fruit Ice- 
cream — A Cream for stewed Fruit — Currant, Raspberry, or Strawbeny 
Whisk — Lemonade — Ice and other Ices — Charlotte Russe — Flummeiy — 
Chicken Salad — Wine Jelly — Apple-lemon Pudding — Wheat-flour Blanc- 
mange — Orange Marmalade — Simple Lemon Jelly — Cranberry — Apple 
Ice — Whip Syllabub — Apple-snow — Iced Fruit — Ornamental Froth — To 
clarify Isinglass — Blanc-mange — Apple Jelly — Orange Jelly — Floating 
Island — A Dish of Snow — To clarify Sugar — Candied Fruits — Another 
way — Ornamental Pyramid 95 

CHAPTER XIX. 

DRINKS AND ARTICLES FOR THE SICK AND YOUNG CHILDREN. 

Tea — Cofi'ee — Fish-skin for Coffee — Cocoa — Cream for Coffee and Tea — 



CONTENTS. 7 

Chocolate — Milk Lemonade — Strawberry and Raspberry Vinegar — White 
Tea and Boys' Coffee — Dangerous use of Milk — Simple Drinks — Simple 
Wine Whey — Toast and Cider — Panada — Water-gruel — Beef-tea — Toma- 
to Sirup — Sassafras Jelly — Egg-tea, Egg-coffee, and Egg-milk — Oat-meal 
Gruel — Pearl Barley-water — Cream-tartar Beverage — Rennet Whey — A 
fever Drink — Eood, etc., for Infimts Page 100 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE PROVIDING AND CARE OF FAMILY STORES. 

The Art of keeping a good Table — Successive Variety — Doing every thing 
in the best Manner — Stores and Store-rooms — Flour — Unbolted Flour — 
Indian-meal — Rye — Buckwheat — Rice — Hominy — Arrow-root — Tapioca, 
etc. — Sugars — Butter — Lard and Drippings — Salt — Vinegar — Oil — Molas- 
ses — Hard Soap — Starch — Indigo — Coffee — Tea — Soda — Raisins — Cur- 
rants — Lemon and Orange Peel — Spices — Sweet Herbs — Cream-tartar — 
Acids — Essences, etc. — Preserves and Jellies — Hams — Cheese — Bread — 
Cake — Codfish — Salted Provisions 103 

CHAPTER XXI. 

SETTING TABLES, PREPARATION OF FOOD. 

Table-cloth — Napkins — Table Furniture — Bread — Butter — Dishes — Soiled 
Spots — Plates to be warmed in Winter — Certain Dishes served together — 
Strong flavored Meats — Boiled Poultry — Jelly — Fresh Pork — Drawn But- 
ter — Pickles — Garnishing Dishes — Boiled Ham or Veal — Greens and As- 
paragus — Hashes — Curled Parsley — Mode of setting Table 109 

CHAPTER XXII. 

WASHING, IRONING, AND- CLEANSING. 

Modes of economizing the Wash — Good Washing depends on Conveniences 
— Articles needed — Common mode of Washing — Fine Clothes — White Ar- 
ticles — Colored Articles — Flannels — Bedding — Calicoes — Waters, etc. — 
To cleanse Broadcloth — To make Lye — Soft Soap — Potash Soap — To pre- 
pare Starch — Beef's Gall — To do up Laces — Articles needed for Ironing — 
Sprinkling, Folding, and Ironing — To whiten Articles and remove Stains 
— Mildew — Stain-mixture — Another — To remove Grease, Tar, Pitch, Tur- 
pentine, Lamp-oil, Oil-paint, Ink-stains, Stains on varnished Articles — To 
clean silk Handkerchiefs and Ribbons — To clean silk Hose or Gloves. 112 

CHAPTER XXIIL 

MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE AND RECIPES. 

How to keep Cool in hot Weather — Indelible Ink — To keep Eggs — To pre- 
vent Earthen, Glass, and Iron ware from breaking easily — Cement for 
broken Ware — To keep Knives from Rust — To cleanse or renovate Furni- 
ture — To clean Silver — To cleanse Wall-paper— To purify a Well — To 
take care of Roses and other Plants — To keep Grapes — Snow for Eggs — 



CONTENTS. 

Paper to keep Preserves — To cool Butter in hot Weather-r-To stop Cracks 
in Iron — To stop creaking Hinges — To stop creaking Doors and make 
Drawers slide easily — To renovate black Silk — To clean Kid Gloves — To 
remove grease Spots — To get rid of Rats and Mice — Odds and ends for 
Housekeepers — Additional Recipes Page 122 



PART SECOND. 

CHAPTER I. 

NEEDFUL SCIENCE AND TRAINING FOR THE FAMILY STATE. 

Women need both scientific and practical Training even more than Men — 
Woman's Duties as important as difficult, and much greater in Variety — 
The business of a Housekeeper includes all connected with the Construc- 
tion and Care of a House, Yard, and Garden ; the Selection of Fui-niture ; 
the Ornamentation of a Home ; its Cleansing, Neatness, and Order ; the 
Selection and Cooking of proper Food ; tlie providing of family Furniture 
and Clothing ; the Care of Health ; the Charge of family Expenses ; the 
Training of Servants, and, as Wife and Mother, the Supervision of Nursery, 
the Educator of Children, and the religious Minister of the fomily State — 
Evils consequent on not training Women for these Duties 127 

CHAPTER II. 

A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOME. 

Advantages of close Packing of Conveniences — Plan of a model Cottage to 
economize Time, Labor, and Expense, with Estimates of Cost — Advan- 
tages described 133 

CHAPTER III. 

ON HOME VENTILATION. 

Mode in which the Body is nourished by the Air — Construction of the Lungs 
and Heart — Description of Evils consequent on Neglect of a proper Sup- 
ply of pure Air 150 

CHAPTER IV. 

ON WARMING A HOUSE. 

Principles of Heat, viz.. Conduction, Convection, Radiation, and Reflection 
— Best Mode of warming a House illustrated — Importance of Moisture in 
the Air 164 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER V. 

ON STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 

The general Properties of Heat, Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Reflec- 
tion — Cooking done by Radiation the simplest but most wasteful Mode : 
by Convection (as in Stoves and Furnaces) the cheapest — The Range — 
The model Cooking-stove — Interior Arrangements and Principles — Con- 
trivances for economizing Heat, Labor, Time, Fuel, Trouble, and Expense 
— Its Durability, Simplicity, etc. — Chimneys: why they smoke, and how 
to cure them — Furnaces : the Dryness of their Heat — Necessity of Moisture 
in waim Air — How to obtain and regulate it Page 182 

CHAPTER VI. 

ECONOMIC MODES OF BEAUTIFYING A HOME. 

Educating Influence of natural and artistic Beauty — On Curtains — Sketch of 
a Parlor with cheap and beautiful Ornaments — On the tasteful Combina- 
tion of Colors 192 

CHAPTER VII. 

ON THE CARE OF HEALTH. 

Importance of some Knowledge of the Body and its Needs — Fearful Respon- 
sibility of entering upon domestic Duties in Ignorance — The fundamental 
vital Principle — Cell-life — Wonders of the Microscope — Cell-multiplication 
— Constant interplay of Decay and Growth necessaiy to Life — The red 
and white Cells of the Blood — Secreting and converting Power — The nerv- 
ous System — The Brain and the Nerves — Structural Arrangement and 
Functions — The ganglionic System — The nervous Fluid — Necessity of 
properly apportioned Exercise to Nerves of Sensation and of Motion — 
Evils of excessive or insufficient Exercise — Equal Development of the 
Whole 199 

CHAPTER VIII. 

DOMESTIC EXERCISE. 

Connection of Muscles and Nerves — Microscopic cellular muscular Fibre — 
Its Mode of Action — Dependence on the Nerves of voluntary and involun- 
taiy Motion — How Exercise of Muscles quickens Circulation of the Blood, 
which maintains all the Processes of Life — Dependence of Equilibrium 
upon proper muscular Activity — Importance of securing Exercise that will 
interest the IVIind. ...^ 208 

CHAPTER IX. 

HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 

Construction of the Body in Relation to Food — The Construction of a Kernel 
of Wheat as proportioned to the Body — Construction and Action of the 

1* 



1 , CONTENTS. 

Stomach — Advice as to Food, Drinks, and Stimulants — Opinions of Phy- 
sicians ' Page 214 

CHAPTER X. ^ 

ON CLEANLINESS. 

Construction of the Skin — The secreting Organs — Care of the Skin 235 

CHAPTER XI. 

CLOTHING. 

Construction of the Bones — Influence of Dress — Description of two Modes 
of Breathing, and the Effects of Weight and Tightness of Clothing — Prop- 
er Mode of sustaining the Clothing 243 

CHAPTER XII. 

EARLY RISING. 

A Virtue peculiarly American and democratic — In aristocratic Countries, 
Labor considered degrading — The Hours of Sunlight generally devoted to 
Labor by the working Classes, and to Sleep by the indolent and wealthy — 
Sunlight necessaiy to Health and Growth, whether of Vegetables or Ani- 
mals — Particularly needful for the Sick — Substitution of artificial Light 
and Heat by Night a great Waste of Money — Eight hours' Sleep enough 
— Excessive Sleep debilitating — Early Rising necessaiy to a well-regulated 
Family, to the Amount of Work to be done to the Community, to Schools, 
and to all Classes in American Society 254 

CHAPTER Xni. 

DOMESTIC MANNERS. 

Good Manners the Expression of Benevolence in personal Intercourse — Se- 
rious Defects in Manners of the Americans — Causes of peculiar Man- 
ners to be found in American Life — Want of clear Discrimination — 
Necessity for Distinctions of Superiority and Subordination — Importance 
that young Mothers should seriously endeavpr to remedy this Defect while 
educating their Children — Democratic Principle of Equal Rights to be ap- 
phed, not to our own Interests, but to those of othei's — The same Court- 
esy to be extended to all Classes — Necessary Distinctions arising from 
mutual Relations to be obsers^ed — The Strong to defer to the Weak — Prec- 
edence yielded by Men to Women in America — Good Manners must be 
cultivated in early Life — Mutual Relations of Husband and Wife — Parents 
and Children — The Rearing of Children to Courtesy — De TocquevOle on 
American Manners 260 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PRESERVATION OP GOOD TEMPER IN THE HOUSEKEEPER. 

Easier for a Household under the Guidance of an equable Temper in the 



CONTENTS. 1 1 

Mistress — Dissatisfied Looks and sharp Tones destroy the Comfort of Sys- 
tem, Neatness, and Econc^y — Considerations to aid the Housekeeper — 
Importance and Dignity of her Duties — Difficulties to be ovei'come — Good 
Policy to calculate beforehand upon the Derangement of well-arranged 
Plans — Object of Housekeeping, the Comfort and well-being of the Family 
— The End should not be sacrificed to secure the Means — Possible to re- 
frain from angry Tones — Mild Speech most effective — Exemplification — 
Allowances to be made for Servants and Children — Power of Religion to 
impart Dignity and Importance to the ordinary and petty Details of do- 
mestic Life Page 274 

CHAPTER XV. 

HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER, 

Relative Importance and Difficulty of the Duties a Woman is called to per- 
form — Her Duties not trivial — A Habit of System and Order necessaiy — 
Right Apportionment of Time — General Principles — Christianity to be the 
Foundation — Intellectual and social Interests to be preferred to Gratifica- 
tion of Taste or Appetite — Neglect of Health a Sin in the Sight of God — 
Regular Season of Rest appointed by the Creator — Divisions of Time — 
Systematic AiTangement of house Articles and other Conveniences — Reg- 
ular EmplojTnent for each Member of a Family — Children — Family Work 
— Forming Habits of System — Early Rising a very great Aid — Due Ap- 
portionment of Time to the several Duties 280 

CHAPTER XVI. 

HEALTHOFMIND. 

Intimate Connection between the Body and Mind — Brain excited by im- 
proper Stimulants taken into the Stomach — Mental Faculties then affected 
— Causes of mental Disease — Want of oxygenized Blood — Fresh Air ab- 
solutely necessary — Excessive Exercise of the Intellect or Feelings — Such 
Attention to Religion as prevents the Performance of other Duties wrong 
— Unusual Precocity in Children usually the Result of a diseased Brain — 
Idiocy often the Result, or the precocious Child sinks below the Average of 
Mankind — This Evil yet prevalent in Colleges and other Seminaries — A 
medical Man necessaiy in every Seminary — Some Pupils always needing 
Restraint in regard to Study — A third Cause of mental Disease, the Want 
of appropriate Exercise of the various Faculties of the Mind — Extract from 
Dr. Combe — Beneficial Results of active intellectual Employments — Indi- 
cations of a diseased Mind 293 

CHAPTER XVII. 

CARE OF THE AGED. 

PreseiTation of the Aged, designed to give Opportunity for Self-denial and 
loving Care — Patience, Sympathy, and Labor for them to be regarded as 
Privileges in a Family— The Young should respect and minister unto the 
Aged — Treating them as valued Members of the Family — Engaging them 



12 CONTENTS. 

ill domestic Games and Sports — Reading aloud — Courteous Attention to 
their Opinions — Assistance in retarding De^y of Faculties by helping 
them to Exercise — Keeping up Interest of the Infirm in domestic Affairs 
— Great Care to preserve animal Heat — Ingratitude to the Aged : its base- 
ness — Chinese Regard for old Age Page 301 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

CARE OF D03IESTIC ANIMALS. 

Interesting Association of Animals with Man, from Childhood- to Age — Do- 
mestic Animals apt to catch the Spirit of their Masters — Important Neces- 
sities — Good Feeding — Shelter — Cleanliness — Destruction of parasitic Ver- 
min — Salt and Water — Light — Exercise — Rule for Breeding — Care of 
Horses : Feeding, Grooming, special Treatment — Cows : Stabling, Feed, 
Calving, Milking, Tethering — Swine: naturally cleanly, Breeding, fresh 
Water, Charcoal, Feeding — Sheep : winter Treatment — Diet — Sorting — 
Use of Sheep in clearing Land — Pasture — Hedges and Fences — Poultry — 
Turkeys — Geese — Ducks — Fowls — Dairy Work generally — Bees — Care of 
domestic Animals, Occupation for Women 305 

CHAPTER XIX. 

CARE OF THE SICK. 

Prominence given to Care and Cure of the Sick by our Saviour — Every 
Woman should know what to do in the Case of Illness — Simple Remedies 
best — Fasting and Perspiration — Evils of Constipation — Modes of reliev- 
ing it — Remedies for Colds — Unwise to tempt the Appetite of the Sick — 
Suggestion for the Sick-room — Ventilation — Needful Articles — The Room, 
Bed, and Person of the Patient to be kept neat — Care to preserve animal 
Warmth — The Sick, the Delicate, the Aged — Food always to be carefully 
prepared and neatly served — Little Modes of Refreshment — Implicit Obe- 
dience to the Physician — Care in purchasing Medicines — Exhibition of 
Cheerfulness, Gentleness, and Sympathy — Knowledge and Experience of 
Mind — Lack of competent Nurses — Failings of Nurses — Sensitiveness of 
the Sick — "Sisters of Charity," the Reason why they are such excellent 
Nurses — Illness in the Family a providential Opportunity of training Chil- 
dren to Love and Usefulness 313 

CHAPTER XX. 

FIRES AND LIGHTS. 

Management of Lamps and Candles 324 

CHAPTER XXL 

CARE OF ROOBIS. 

Miscellaneous Advice as to Furniture, setting Tables, Packing, and Stowing — 
Rules for Washing, Carving, and Helping — Care of Chambers, Kitchen, 
and Cellar 330 



CONTENTS. 13 

CHAPTER XXII. 

CARE OF YARDS AND GARDENS. 

Preparation of Soil — Making a Hot-bed — Re-potting — Laying out Yards and 
Gardens — Care of house Plants — Propagation of Plants — Ingrafting — Cul- 
tivation of Fruit by "Women Page 349 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

SEWING, CUTTING, AND FITTING. 

How to instruct in these Arts in common Schools 361 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

ACCIDENTS AND ANTIDOTES. 

Treatment of the Drowned — Antidotes for Poisons — Conduct in Thunder- 
storms and Fires 366 

CHAPTER XXV. 

RIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPERTY. 

Meaning of the Wo»d Right — How do Men decide what is wise, best, and 
right ? — What is an intuitive Principle in all rational Minds — Who are 
called righteous and virtuous Men in all Nations and Ages — Effect of Dan- 
ger in deciding what is right — The Law of Rectitude or Right — Distinc- 
tion between emotive Love and voluntary Love illustrated by Christ's 
Teachings and Example — Explanation of " Faith," "Love," and " Repent- 
ance, "as taught by Jesus Christ — The proportion of Time and Property 
required of the Jews — Illustrations of Christian Benevolence — Self-deny- 
ing Benevolence happifying, and can be cultivated — Consideration of vari- 
ous Modes of Charity 370 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

CARE OF INFANTS. 

Remarks of Herbert Spencer and Dr. Combe — Advice of medical Writers — 
Best Remedy for Fevers 390 

CHAPTER XXVIL 

MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 

Physical Care— Intellectual Training— On cultivating Benevolence in Chil- 
dren — Sympathy with Little Ones important — Gentle tones best 401 

CHAPTER XXVEIL 

FA3IILY RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 

Woman's Responsibility as chief Educator of the Family — The meaning of 



14 CONTENTS. 

the Word Right — The End, or Object, for which all Things are made, and 
how learned — Difficulties in interpreting Kevelation — Distinctive principle 
of Protestantism — Danger in the future Life, and different Views — Influ- 
ence of Belief in Danger illustrated — Rule of Interpretation used in com- 
mon Life, and to be applied to the Bible — What we must do to be saved — 
Theories differ, but an agreement in facts revealed — How a Woman must 
decide for herself and for those she controls P-jge 414 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

CARE OP SERVANTS. 

Distinction between emotional and voluntary Love to others — This the Prin- 
ciple to guide in the Care of Servants — Ladies who do their own Work — 
Intelligence saves Labor — Benefits ' of domestic Labor — The Training of 
Servants a prime Duty of American Housekeepers — Modes of avoiding Dif- 
ficulties — Rewards of benevolent Care here and in the Life to come. . 424 

CHAPTER XXX. 

DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 

The only proper Object of Amusement — Various kinds that are safe, and 
others that are wrong, either in Quality or Excess — Hospitality 440 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

LAWS OF HEALTH. 

The Laws of Health are Laws of God, and should be taught to all Children 
— Laws of Health for the Bones, Muscles, Lungs, Digestive Organs, Skin, 
Brain and Nerves, Teeth, Eyes, Hair, etc 454 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

COMFORT FOR A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 

Some of the great Trials of American Housekeepers enumerated — How to 
meet them with Comfort and Success 459 

NOTE A 466 

INDEX 473 



, THE 

HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

PART FIRST. 



CHAPTER I. 

ADDEESS OF THE AUTHOR TO AMEEICAN HOUSEKEEPERC;. 



My dear Friends, — This volume embraces, in a concise 
form, many valuable portions of my other works on Domes- 
tic Economy, both those published by Harper and Brothers 
and those published by J. B. Ford and Co., together with 
other new and interesting matter. It is designed to be a 
complete encyclopaedia of all that relates to a woman's du- 
ties as housekeeper, wife, mother, and nurse. 

The First Part embraces a large variety of recipes for food 
that is both healthful and economical, put in clear, concise 
language, with many methods for saving labor, time, and 
money, not found in any other works of the kind. It also 
gives more specific directions as to seasoniiigs ^iud flavors 
than the common one of" Season to the Taste," which leaves 
all to the judgment of the careless or ignorant. The recipes 
have been tested by some of the best housekeepers, and all 
relating to health has been approved by distinguished physi- 
cians of all schools. 

The Second Part contains interesting information as to the 
construction of the body, in a concise form, omitting all de- 
tails, except such as have an immediate connection with a 
housekeeper's practical duties. These are so simplified and 
illustrated, that by aid of this, both servants and children can 
be made so to understand the reaso?is for the laws of health, 



16 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

as to render that willing and intelligent obedience which 
can be gained in no other way. 

It is my most earnest desire to save you and your house- 
hold from the sad consequences I have suffered from igno- 
rance of the laics of health, especially those ;vvhich women 
peculiarly need to understand and obey. 

God made woman to do the work of the family, and to 
train those under her care to the same labor. And her J)ody 
is so formed that family labor and care tend not only to good 
health, but to the highest culture of mind. Read all that is 
included in our " profession," as detailed in the Second Part 
of this work, and see how much there is to cultivate every 
mental faculty, as well as our higher moral powers. Domes- 
tic labor with the muscles of the arms and trunk, with inter- 
vals of sedentary work, are exactly what keep all the func- 
tions of the body in perfect order, especially those which, at 
the present day, are most out of order in our sex. And so 
the women of a former generation, while they read and 
studied books far less than women of the present time, were 
better developed both in mind and body. 

It was my good fortune to be trained by poverty and good 
mothers and aunts to do every kind of domestic labor, and 
so, until one-and-twenty, I was in full enjoyment of health 
and happiness. Then I gave up all domestic employments 
for study and teaching, and in ten years I ruined my health, 
while my younger sisters and friends suffered in the same 
mistaken course. And my experience has been repeated all 
over the land, until there is such decay of female constitu- 
tions and health, as alarms, and justly alarms, every well-in- 
formed person. 

After twenty years of invalidism, I have been restored to 
perfect health of body and mind, and icholly by a strict obe- 
dience to the laios of health and happiness, which I now com- 
mend to your especial attention, with the hope and prayer 
that by obedience to them you may save yourselves and 
households from unspeakable future miseries. 

I wish I could give you all the evidence that I have gain- 
ed to prove that woman's work in the household might be so 
conducted as to be agreeable, tasteful, and promotive of both 



author's address. 17 

grace and beauty of person. But this never can be general- 
ly credited till women of high culture set the example of 
training their sons and daughters, instead of hired servants 
alone, to be their domestic helpers. 

According to the present tendency of wealth and culture, 
it is women of moderate or humble means who will train 
their own children to health and happiness, and rear prosper- 
ous families. Meantime, the rich women will have large 
houses, many servants, poor health, and little domestic com- 
fort, while they train the children of foreigners to do family 
work, and in a way that will satisfy neither mistress nor 
servant ; for a woman who does not work herself is rarely 
able to properly teach others. Choose wisely, then, O youth- 
ful mother and housekeeper ! train yourself to wholesome 
labor and intelligent direction, and be prepared to educate 
a cheerful and healthful flock of your own children. 

Your friend and well-wisher, 

Catharine E. Beecher. 
New York, April 2, 1873. 



18 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER II. 

MARKETING AND THE CARE OP MEATS. 

Every young woman, at some period of her life, may need 
the instructions of this chapter. Thousands will have the 
immediate care of buying meats for the family ; and even 
those who are not themselves obliged to go to market, 
should have the knowledge which will enable them to direct 
their servants what and how to buy, and to judge whether 
the household, under their management, is properly served 
or not. ISTothing so thoroughly insures the intelligent obe- 
dience of orders, as evidence that the person ordering knows 
exactly what is wanted. 

The directions given in this and the ensuing chapters on 
meats, were carefully written, first in Cincinnati, with the 
counsel and advice of business men practically engaged in 
such matters. They have been recently rewritten in Hart- 
ford, Conn., after consultation with intelligent butchers and 
grocers. 

MARKETING. 

beef. ' 

The animal, when slaughtered, should be bled very thor- 
oughly. The care taken by the Jews in this and other points 
draws custom from other sects to their markets. The skin 
is tanned for leather, and the fat is used for candles and 
other purposes. The tail is used for soups, and the liver, 
heart, and tripe are also used for cooking. The body is split 
into two parts, through the back-bone, and each half is di- 
vided as marked in the drawing on following page. There 
are diverse modes of cutting and naming the parts, butchers 
in New England, in New York, in the South, and in the 
West, all making some slight differences ; but the following 
is the most common method. 



MAKKETING AND CARE OF MEATS. 



19 



Fior. 1. 




1. The head : frequently used for mince-pies ; sometimes it is tried out for 
oil, and then the bones are used for fertilizers. The horns are used to make 
buttons and combs, and various other things. 2. The neck; used for soups 
and stews. 3. The chuck-rib, or shoulder, having four ribs. It is used for 
coming, stews, and soup, and some say the best steaks are from this piece. 
4. The front of the shoulder, or the shoulder-clod, which is sometimes called 
the brisket. 5. The back of the shoulder ; used for corning, soups, and stews. 
6. The fore-shin, or leg ; used for soups. 7, 7. The plate-pieces; the front 
one is called the brisket, (as is also 4,) and is used for corning, soups, and 
stews.' The back plate-piece is called \hQ flank, and is divided into the thick 
flank, or upper sirloin, and the lower flank. These are for roasting and 
corning. 8. The standing ribs, divided into first, second, and third cuts; 
used for roasting. The second cut is the best of the three. 9. The sirloin, 
which is the best roasting piece. 10. The sirloin steak and the porter-house 
steak; used for broiling. 11. The rump, or aitch-bone; used for soup or 
corning, or to cook a la mode. 12. The round, or buttock ; used for corning, 
or for a la mode ; also for dried beef. 13. The hock, or hind shank ; used 
for soups. 

In selecting J3eef^ choose that which has a loose grain, 
easily yielding to pressure, of a clear reel, with whitish fat. 
If the lean is purplish, and the fat yellow, it is poor beef. 
Beef long kept turns a darker color than fresh killed. Stall- 
fed beef has a lighter color than grass-fed. 

Ox beef is the best, and next, that of a heifer. 

In cold weatherj it is economical to buy a hind quarter ; 
have it cut up, and what is not wanted immediately, pack 
with snow in a barrel. All meats grow tender by keeping. 
Do not let meats freeze ; if they do, thaw them in cold water, 
and do not cook them till fully thawed. A piece weighing 
ten pounds requires ten or twelve hours to thaw. 



20 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 
Fig. 2. 




VEAL. 

The calf should not be slaughtered until it is six weeks 
old. Spring is the best time for veal. It is divided as marked 
in the drawing. 

1. The head, sold with the pluck, which includes the heart, liver, and 
sweet-breads. 2. The rack, including the neck ; used for stews, pot-pies, and 
broths ; also for chops and roasting. 3. The shoulder. This, and also half 
the rack and ribs of the fore-quarter, are sometimes roasted, and sometimes 
used for stews, broths, and cutlets. 4. The fore-shank, or knuckle ; used for 
broths. 5. The breast'; used for stews and soups; also to stuff and bake.. 
6. The loin ; used for roasting. 7. The fillet, or leg, including the hind 
flank ; used for cutlets, or to stuff and boil, or to stuff and roast, or bake. 
8. The hind shank, or hock, or knuckle ; used for soups. The feet are used 
for jelly. 

In selecting Veal, take that which is firm and dry, and the 
joints stiff, having the lean a delicate red, the kidney covered 
with fat, and the fat very white. If you buy the head, see 
that the eyes are plump and lively, and not dull and sunk 
in the head. If you buy the legs, get those which are not 
skinned, as the skin is good for jelly or soup. 




MUTTON. 
1. The shoulder; for boiling or corning. 2, 2. The neck and rack; for 



MARKETING AND CARE OF MEATS. 



21 



boiling or coming. 3. The loin ; is roasted, or broiled as chops. 4. The 
leg ; is boiled, or broiled, or stuffed and roasted. Many salt and smoke the 
leg, and call it smoked venison. 5. The hreast ; for boiling or corning. 

In choosing Mutton^ take that which is bright red and 
close-grained, with firm and white fat. The meat should feel 
tender and springy on pressure, l^otice the vein on the 
neck of the fore-quarter, which should be a fine blue. 

Fig. 4. 




PORK. 

1. The leg^ or ham; used for smoking. 2. The hind loin. 3. The ybre 
loin. 4. The spare-rih ; for roasting ; sometimes including all the ribs. 5. 
The hand, or shoidder ; sometimes smoked, and sometimes corned and boiled. 
6. The belly, or spring, for coming or salting down. The feet are used for 
jelly, head-cheese, and souse. 

In selecting PorJc^ if young, the lean can easily be broken 
when pinched, and the skin can be indented by nipping with 
the fingers. The fat also will be white and soft. Thin rind 
is best. 

In selecting Eams^ run a knife along the bone, and if it 
comes out clean, the ham is good ; but if it comes out smear- 
ed, it is spoiled. Good bacon has white fat, and the lean ad- 
heres closely to the bone. If the bacon has yellow streaks, 
it is rusty, and not fit to use. 



Jn selecting Poultry., choose those that are full grown, but 
not old. When young and fresh-killed, the skin is thin and 
tender, the joints not very stiiBT, and the eyes full and bright. 
The breast-bone shows the age, as it easily yields to press- 
ure if young, and is tough when old. If young, you can with 
a pin easily tear the skin. A goose, when old, has red and 



22 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

hairy legs ; but when young, they are yellow, and have few 
hairs. The pin-feathers are the roots of feathers, which break 
off and remain in the skin, and always indicate a young bird. 
When very neatly dressed, they are pulled out. 

Poultry and birds ought to be killed by having the head 
cut off, and then hung up by the legs to bleed freely. This 
makes the flesh white and more healthful. 



In selecting Fish^ take those that are firm and thick, hav- 
ing stiff fins and bright scales, the gills bright red, and the 
eyes full and prominent. When fish are long out of water, 
they grow soft, the fins bend easily, the scales are dim, the 
gills grow dark, and the eyes sink and shrink away. Be sure 
and have them dressed immediately ; sprinkle them with salt, 
and use them, if possible, the same day. In warm weather, 
put them in ice, or corning, for the next day. 

Shell-fish can be decided upon only by the smell. Lob- 
sters are not good unless alive, or else boiled before offered 
for sale. They are black when alive, and red when boiled. 
When to be boiled, they are to be put alive into boiling 
water, which is the quickest and least cruel way to end their 
life. 

THE CARE OF MEATS. 

In hot weather, if there is no refrigerator, then wipe meat 
dry, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, and hang in the cel- 
lar. Or, still better, wrap it, thus prepared, in a dry cloth, 
and cover it with charcoal or with wood-ashes. Mutton, 
wrapped in a cloth wet with vinegar, and laid on the ground 
of a dry cellar, keeps well and improves in tenderness. 

Hang meat a day or two after it is killed before corning it. 

In winter, meat is kept finely if well packed in snow, with- 
out salting ; 'but some say it lessens the sweetness. 

Frozen meat must be thawed in cold water, and not cook- 
ed till entirely thawed. 

Beef and mutton are improved by keeping as long as they 
remain sweet. If meat begins to taint, wash it, and rub it 
with powdered charcoal, which often removes the taint. 



MARKETING AND CAEE OF MEATS. 23 

Sometimes rubbing with salt will cure it. Soda water is 
good also. 

Take all the kernels out that you will find in the round 
and thick end of the flank of beef, and in the fat, and fill the 
holes with salt. This Avill preserve it longer. 

Salt your meat, in summer, as soon as you receive it. 

A pound and a half of salt rubbed into twenty-five pounds 
of beef, will corn it so as to last several days in ordinary 
warm weather ; or put it in strong brine. 

In most books of recipes there are several difierent ones for 
corning, for curing pork hams, and for other uses, while an in- 
experienced person is at a loss to know which is best. The 
recipes here given are decided to be the best, after an exami- 
nation of quite a variety, by the writer, who has resided where 
they were used; and she knows that the very best results 
are secured by these directions. These also are pronounced 
the best by business men of large experience. 

To Salt down Beef to keep the Year round. — One hundred pounds of 
beef ; four quarts of rock-salt, pounded fine ; four ounces of saltpetre, pound- 
ed fine ; four pounds of brown sugar. Mix well. Put a layer of meat on 
the bottom of the barrel, with a thin layer of this mixture under it. Pack 
the meat in layers, and between each put equal proportions of this mixture, 
allowing a little more to the top layers. Then pour in brine till the barrel is 
full. 

To cleanse Calf's Head and Feet. — Wash clean, and sprinkle pounded res- 
in over the hair ; dip in boiling water and take out immediately, and then 
scrape them clean ; then soak them in water for four days, changing the 
water every day. 

To prepare Eennet. — Take the stomach of a new-killed calf, and do not 
wash it, as it weakens the gastric juice. Hang it in a cool and dry place 
five days or so ; then tui-n the inside out, and slip off' the curds Avith the 
hand. Then fill it with salt, with a little saltpetre mixed in, and lay it in a 
stone pot, pouring on a tea-spoonful of vinegar, and sprinkling on a handful 
of salt. Cover it closely, and keep for use. After six weeks, take a piece 
four inches square and put it in a bottle with five gills of cold water and two 
gills of rose brandy ; stop it close, and shake it when you use it. A table- 
spoonful is enough for a quart of milk. 

To Salt down Fish. — Scale, cut off" the heads, open down the back, and re- 
move most of the spine, to have them keep better. Lay. them in salt water 



24 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

two hours, to extract blood. Sprinkle with fine salt, and let them lie over 
night. Then mix one peck of coarse and fine salt, one ounce of saltpetre, 
(or half an ounce of saltpetre and half an ounce of saleratus,) and one pound 
of sugar. Then pack in a firkin. Begin with a layer of salt, then a layer 
of fish, skin downward. A peck of salt will answer for twenty-five shad, 
and other fish in proportion. 

As in most country families, when meat is salted for the 
year's use, pork is the meat most generally and most largely 
relied upon, considerable space is devoted to its proper prep- 
aration. Special attention is given to various modes of cur- 
ing and preserving it. 

To try out Lard. — Take what is called the leaves, and take off* all the skin, 
cut it into pieces an inch square, put it into a clean pot over a slow fire, and 
try it till the scraps look a reddish-brown ; take great care not to let it bum, 
which would spoil the whole. Then strain it through a strong cloth, into a 
stone pot, and set it away for use. 

Take the fat to which the smaller intestines are attached, (not the large 
ones,) and the flabby pieces of pork not fit for salting, try these in the same 
way, and set the fat thus obtained where it will freeze, and by spring the 
strong taste will be gone, and then it can be used for frying. A tea-cup of 
water prevents burning while trying. 

Corn-fed pork is best. Pork made by still-house slops is 
almost poisonous, and hogs that live on offal never furnish 
healthful food. If hogs are properly fed, the pork is not un- 
healthful. 

Pork with kernels in it is measly, and is unwholesome. 

A thick skin shows that the pork is old, and that it re- 
quires more time to boil. If bought pork is very salt, soak 
it some hours. Do not let pork freeze, if you intend to salt it. 

The gentleman who uses the following recipe for curing 
pork hams, says it has these advantages over all others he 
has tried or heard of, namely, the hams thus cured are sweet- 
er than by any other method ; they are more solid and ten- 
der, and are cured in less than half the time. Moreover, they 
do not attract flies so much as other methods : 

Recipe for Molasses-cured Hams. — Moisten every part of the ham with 
molasses, and then for every hundred pounds use one quart of fine salt, and 
four ounces of saltpetre, rubbing them in very thoroughly at every point. 
Put the hams thus prepared in a tight cask for four days. Then rub again 



MARKETING AND CARE OF MEATS. 25 

with molasses and one quart of salt, and return the hams to the cask for four 
days. Eepeat this the third and the fourth time, and then smoke the hams. 
This process takes only sixteen days, while other methods require five or six 
weeks. 

The following is the best recipe for the ordinary mode of 
curing hams ; and the brine or pickle thus prepared is equal- 
ly good for corning and all other purposes for which brine is 
used. Some persons use saleratus instead of the saltpetre, 
and others use half and half of each, and say it is an improve- 
ment: 

Brine or Pickle for corning Hams, Beef, Pork, and Hung Beef. — Four gal- 
lons of water ; two pounds of rock-salt, and a little more of common salt ; two 
ounces of saltpetre ; one quart of molasses. Mix, but do not boil. Put the 
hams in a barrel and pour this over them, and keep them covered with it for 
six weeks. If more brine is needed, make it in the same proportions. 

Brine for Beef, Pork, Tongues, and Hung Beef. — Four gallons of water ; 
one and a half pounds of sugar ; one ounce of saltpetre ; one ounce of sale- 
ratus. Add salt ; and if it is for use only a month or two, use six pounds of 
salt ; if for all the year, use nine pounds. In hot weather, rub the meat with 
salt before putting it in, and let it lie for three hours, to extract the blood. 
When tongues and hung beef are taken out, wash the pieces, and, when 
smoked, put them in paper bags, and hang in a dry place. 

Brine by Measure, easily made. — One gallon of cold water ; one quart of 
rock-salt ; and two of blown salt ; one heaping table-spoonful of saltpetre, (or 
half as much of saleratus, with half a table-spoonful of saltpetre ;) six heaping 
table-spoonfuls of browTi sugar. Mix, but not boil. Keep it as long as salt 
remains undissolved at bottom. When scum rises, add more salt, sugar, salt- 
petre, and soda. 

To Salt down Pork. — Allow a peck of salt for sixty pounds. Cover the 
bottom of the barrel with salt an inch deep. Put do\vn one laj^er of pork, 
and cover that with salt half an inch thick. Continue thus till the barrel is 
full. Then pour in as much strong brine as the ban-el will receive. Keep 
coarse salt between all pieces, so that the brine can circulate. When a white 
scum or bloody-looking matter rises on the top, scald the brine and add more 
salt. Leave out bloody and lean pieces for sausages. Pack as tight as pos- 
sible, the rind next the barrel ; and let it be always kept under the brine. 
Some use a stone for this pui*pose. In salting down a new supply, take the 
old brine, boil it down and remove all the scum, and then use it to pour over 
the pork. The pork may be used in six weeks after salting. 

2 



26 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPEE. 



To prepare Cases for Sausages. — Empty the cases, taking care not to tear 
them. Wash them thoroughly, and cut into lengths of two yards each. 
Then take a candle-rod, and fastening one end of a case to the top of it, turn 
the case inside outward. When all are turned, wash very thoroughly, and 
scrape them with a scraper made for the purpose, keeping them in warm wa- 
ter till ready to scrape. Throw them into salt and water to soak till used. 
It is a very difficult job to scrape them clean without tearing them. When 
finished, they look transparent and veiy thin. 



Sausage-Meat. — Take one third fat and two thirds lean pork, and chop it ; 
and then to every twelve pounds of meat add twelve large even spoonfuls of 
pounded salt, nine of sifted sage, and six of sifted black pepper. Some like 
a little summer-savoiy. Keep it in a cool and dry place. 

Another Recipe. — To twenty-five pounds of chopped meat, which should 
be one third fat and two thirds lean, put twenty spoonfuls of sage, twenty-five 
of salt, ten of pepper, and four of summer-savory. 

Bologna Sausages. — Take equal portions of veal, pork, and ham ; chop 
them fine ; season with sweet herbs and pepper ; put them in cases ; boil them 
till tender, and then dry them. 

To smoke Hams. — Make a small building of boards, nailing strips over the 
cracks to confine the smoke. Have within cross-sticks, on which to hang the 
hams. Have only one opening at top, at the end farthest from the fire. Set 
it up so high that a small stove can be set under or very near it, with the 
smoke-pipe entering the floor at the opposite end from the slide. These di- 




MABKETING AND CARE OF MEATS. pf 

rections are for a wooden house, and it is better thus than to have a fire with- 
in a brick house, because too much warmth lessens the flavor and tenderness 
of the hams. Change the position of the hams once or twice, that all may 
be treated alike. When this can not be done, use an inverted barrel or hogs- 
head, with a hole for the smoke to escape, and resting on stones ; and keep a 
small, smouldering fire. Cobs are best, as giving a better flavor ; and brands 
or chips of walnut wood are next best. Keeping a small fire a longer time is 
better than quicker smoking, as too much heat gives the hams a strong taste, 
and they are less sweet. 

The house and barrel are shown in Fig. 5, on precediog page. 



^. THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER HI. 

STEWS AND SOUPS. 

In using salt and pepper, diversities of strength make a 
difficulty in giving very exact directions ; so also do inequal- 
ities in the size of spoons and tumblers. But so much can 
be done," that a housekeeper, after one trial, can give exact 
directions to her cook, or with a pencil alter the recipe. 

It is a great convenience to have recipes that employ meas- 
ures which all families have on hand, so as not to use steel- 
yards and balances. The following will be found the most 
convenient : 

A medium size tea-spoon, even full, equals 60 drops, or one eighth of an 
ounce. 

A medium size table-spoon, even full, equals two tea-spoonfuls. 

One ounce equals eight even tea-spoonfuls, or four table-spoonfuls. 

One gill equals eight even table-spoonfuls. 

Half a gill equals four even table-spoonfuls. 

Two gills equal half a pint, and four gills equal one pint. 

One common size tumbler equals half a pint, or two gills. 

One pint equals two tumblerfuls, or four gills. 

One quart equals four tumblerfuls, or eight gills. 

Four quarts equal one gallon. 

Four gallons equal one peck. 

Four pecks equal one bushel. 

A quart of sifted flour, heaped, a sifted quart of sugar, and a softened 
quart of butter each weigh about a pound, and so nearly that measuring is 
as good as weighing. 

Water is heavier, and a pint of water weighs nearly a pound. 

Ten eggs weigh about one pound. 

The most economical modes of cooking, as to time, care, 
and laboi', are stews, soups, and hashes; and when proj^erly 
seasoned, they are great favorites, especially with children. 

Below is a drawing of a stew and soup-kettle that any tin- 
man can easily make. Its advantages are, that, after the 
meat is put in, there is no danger of scorching, and no watch- 
ing is required, except to keep up the fire aright, so as to 



STEWS AND SOUPS. 



29 



have a steady simmering. Another advantage is, that, by 
the tight cover, the steam and flavors are confined, and the 
cooking thus improved. Then, in taking up the stew, it of- 
fers several conveniences, as will be found on trial. 



Fig. 6. 




This stew-kettle consists of two pans, the inner one not 
fastened, but fitting tight to the outer, with holes the size of 
a large pin-head commencing half an inch from the bottom 
and continuing to within two inches of the top of the under 
pan. It has a flat lid, on which may be placed a weight, to 
confine steam and flavors. The holes may be an inch apart. 
The size of the kettle must depend on the size of the family : 
it may be of any desired size. 

General Directions. 

Generally, in making stews, use soft water ; but when only 
hard is at hand, put in half a tea-spoonful of soda to every 
two quarts of water. Put in all the bones and gristle first, 
breaking the bones thoroughly. 

Rub fresh meat with salt, and put it in cold water, for 
soups, a^ this extracts the juices. 

As soon as water begins to boil, skim repeatedly till no 
more scum rises. 

Never let water boil hard for soups or stew^s ; for 

"Meat fast boiled 
Is meat half spoiled." 

Let the water simmer gently and not stop simmering long, 
as this injures both looks and flavor. 



30 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Keep in water enough to cover the meat, or it becomes 
hard and dark. 

In preparing for soups, it is best to make a good deal of 
broth at one time ; cool it slowly, first removing sediment 
by straining through a colander. When cold, remove the 
fat from the top, and keep the liquor for soups and gravies. 
This is called stocky and as suc*h should have no other season- 
ing than salt. The other seasoning is to be put in when 
heated and combined with other material for soup. 

In hot weather, stock will keep only a day or two ; but in 
cool weather, three or four days. If vegetables were boiled 
in it, it would turn sour sooner. 

Remnants of cooked meats niay be used together for soup ; 
but take care that none is tainted, thus spoiling all. Liquor 
in which corned beef is boiled should be saved to mix with 
stock of fresh meat, and then little or no salt is needed. The 
recipes for stews that follow will make good Soups by add- 
ing more water. 

Beef and Potato Stew. — Cut up four pounds of beef into strips three inches 
by two, and put them into two quarts of water, with one onion sliced veiy 
fine. Let this simmer four hours. Add in half a cup of warm water six 
even tea-spoonfuls of salt, three of sugar, three of vinegar, a tea-spoonful of 
black pepper, and six heaping tea-spoonfuls of flower, lumps rubbed out. 
Pour these upon the meat ; cut up, slice, and add six potatoes, and let all 
stew till the meat is veiy tender, and the potatoes are soft. If potatoes are 
omitted, leave out half a tea-spoonful of salt and a pinch of the pepper. 

Be sure and skim very thoroughly when boiling commences, and do not 
allow hard boiling, but only a gentle simmer. 

French Mutton and Turnip Stew. — Cut up two pounds of mutton, with a 
little of the fat, into two-inch squares. Kub two heaping table-spoonfuls of 
butter into two table- spoonfuls of flour, and stir it into the meat, with water 
just enough to cover it. Add three even tea-spoonfuls of salt, half a one of 
pepper, four of sugar, a sprig of parsley, and a small onion, sliced very fine. 
Skim as soon as it begins to boil, and then add thirty pieces of turnips, each 
an inch square, that have been fried brown. Let all stew till meat and tur- 
nips are tender ; throw out the parsley, and serve with the turnips in the 
centre, and the meat around it. 

A Simple Mutton Stew. — Cut fotu- pounds of mutton into two-inch squares, 
add four even tea-spoonfuls of salt, four of sugar, half a one of pepper, and a 
small onion, sliced fine. Stew three hours, in two quarts of water, and then 



STEWS AND SOUPS. 3^1 

thicken with five tea-spoonfuls of flour, lumps rubbed out. Six tomatoes, or 
some tomato catsup, improves this. 

A Beef Stew, with Vegetable Flavors. — Cut up four pounds of beef into 
two-inch squares, and add two quarts of water. Let it stew one hour. Then 
add one sliced onion, two sliced turnips, two sliced carrots, four sliced toma- 
toes, four heaping tea-spoonfuls of salt, one small tea-spoonful of pepper, four 
tea-spoonfuls of sugar, and five cloves. Let it stew till there is only about 
a tea-cupful of gravy, and thicken this with a little flour. 

The above may be cooked without cutting up the meat, and it is good 
eaten cold. Pressing it under a weight improves it, and so does putting it 
in an oven for half an hour. 

A Stew of Chicken, Duck, or Turkey, with Celery or Tomatoes. — Take a 
quart of lukewarm water, and add two heaping tea-spoonfuls of salt, two of 
sugar, and a salt-spoonful of pepper. Cut up a large head of celer}'-, or four 
large tomatoes. Cut the fowl into eight or more pieces, and let all simmer 
together two hours, or till the meat is very tender. Then add two table-spoon- 
fuls of butter, worked into as much flour, and let it simmer fifteen minutes. 

A Favorite Irish Stew. — Cut two pounds of mutton into pieces two inches 
square ; add a little of the chopped fat, three tea-spoonfuls of salt, half a one 
of black pepper, two of sugar, two sliced onions, and a quart of water. Let 
them simmer half an hour, and then add six peeled potatoes, cut in quar- 
ters, that have soaked in cold water an hour. Let the whole stew an hour 
longer, or rather till the meat is veiy tender. Skim it at first and just 
before taking up. 

Veal Stew. — Put a knuckle of veal into two quarts of boiling water, with 
three tea-spoonfuls of salt and half a tea-spoonful of ground pepper. Then 
chop fine and tie in a muslin rag one carrot, two small onions, a small 
bunch of summer savory, and another of parsley ; put them in the water, 
and let them stew three or four hours, till the meat is very tender. There 
should only be about half a pint of gravy at the bottom. Pour in boiling 
water, if needed. Strain the gravy, and thicken -with four spoonfuls of flour 
or potato-starch, and let it boil up a minute only. This is improved by add- 
ing at first half a pound of salt pork or ham, cut in strips. When this is 
done, no salt -is to be used, or only one tea-spoonful. Tomatoes improve it. 

Another. — Cut four pounds of veal into strips one inch thick and three 
inches long, and peel and soak twelve potatoes cut into slices half an inch 
thick. Then put a layer of pork at the bottom, and alternate layers of pota- 
toes and veal, with a layer of salt pork on the top. Put three tea-spoonfuls 
of salt, half a one of pepper, four of sugar, and six tea-spoonfuls of flour, 
with lumps rubbed out, into two quarts of water. Pour all upon the veal and 
potatoes, and let them stew till the veal is very tender. Add twelve peeled 
and sliced tomatoes, which will improve this. 



32 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

A Favorite Turkish Stew, (called Pilaff.) — Take some rich broth, sea- 
soned to the taste with pepper, salt, and tomato catsup. Add two tea-cups 
of rice, and let it simmer till the rice absorbs as much as it will take up with- 
out losing its form — say about fifteen minutes. Cut up a chicken, and sea- 
son it with salt and pepper, and fry it in sweet butter or cream. Then put 
the chicken in the centre of the rice, and cover it entirely with rice. Then 
pour on half a pound of melted butter, and let it stand where it is hot, and 
yet will not fry, for fifteen minutes. To be served hot. 

A Rice or Hominy Stew. — Take four pounds of any kind of fresh meat, 
cut into pieces two inches square, and put in the stew-pan with one pint of 
hominy. Then put into two quarts of warm water five heaping tea-spoon- 
fuls of salt, four of sugar, half a one of pepper, and three of -v-inegar. Let 
them simmer four or five hours, till the meat is very tender. A tea-cup of 
rice may be used instead of hominy. A little salt pork improves this, as well 
as all other stews. 

A Favorite English Beef Stew. — Simmer a shank or hock of beef in four 
quarts of water, with four heaping table-spoonfuls of salt, until the beef is 
soft and the water reduced to about two quarts. Then add peeled and soaked 
potatoes cut into thick slices, two tea-spoonfuls of pepper, two of sweet mar- 
joram, and two of either thyme or summer savory. Stew till the potatoes 
are soft, add bread-crumbs and more salt if needful. One or two onions cut 
fine, and put in at first, improve it for most persons. 

French Stew, or Pot au Feu. — Put three pounds of fresh meat into three 
quarts of cold water, with two tea-spoonfuls of salt. When it begins to sim- 
mer, add a gill of cold water, and skim thoroughly. Then add a quarter of a 
pound of liver, a medium-sized carrot sliced, two small turnips, two middle- 
sized leeks, half a head of celen,', one sprig of parsley, a bay leaf, one onion 
with two cloves stuck in it, and two cloves of garlic. Simmer five hours. 
Strain the broth into a soup-dish, and serve the meat and vegetables on a 
platter. If more Avater is needed, add that which is boiling. 

When the dish is served all together, it is called Pot au Feu, and the vessel 
in which it is cooked has the same name. It is the common dish of the 
French peasantry. 

The following is the receipe for the favorite Spanish dish. 
A superior housekeeper tried it, and it was so much liked 
that several of her family were harmed ^y eating too much: 

Spanish 011a Podrida. — Fry four ounces of salt pork in the pot, and, when 
partly done, add two pounds of fresh beef and a quarter of a pound of ham. 
Add two tea-spoonfuls of salt in cold water, and only enough just to cover 
the meat. Skim carefully the first half-hour, and then add a gill of peas, (if 
dried, soak them an hour first,) half ahead of cabbage, one carrot, one turnip, 



STEWS AND SOUPS. S3 

two leeks, three stalks of celery, three stalks of parsley, two stalks of thyme, 
two cloves, two onions sliced, two cloves of garlic, ten pepper-corns, and a 
pinch of powdered mace or nutmeg. Simmer steadily for five hours. When 
the water is too low, add that which is boiling. Put the meat on a platter, 
and the vegetables around it. Strain the liquor on to toasted bread in a 
soup-dish.. 

All these articles can be obtained at grocers' or markets in our large cities, 
and of course can be procured in the country. 

French Mutton Stew. — Take a leg of mutton and remove the large bone, 
leaving the bone at the small end as a handle ; cut off also the bone below the 
knuckle, and fix it with skewers. 

Put it in a stew-pan with a pinch of allspice, four onions, two cloves, two 
carrots, each cut in four pieces, a small bunch of parsley, two bay leaves, three 
sprigs of thyme, and salt and pepper to the taste. Add two ounces of bacon 
cut in slices, a quarter of a pint of broth, and cold water enough to cover it. 
After one hour of simmering, add a wine-glass of French brandy. 

Let them simmer five hours longer, and then dish it ; strain the sauce on 
it, and serve. 

The American housekeeper by experiments can modify 
these foreign recipes to meet the taste of her family, and Avill 
find them economical modes of cooking, as well as healthful 
to most persons. 

FRENCH MODES OF COOKING SOUPS AND STEWS. 

The writer has examined the recipes of Gouffee, the chief 
French cook of the Queen of England, set forth in the ex- 
pensive Royal Cook-Book ; also those of Soyer and Professor 
Blot. She and her friends also have tested many of their 
recipes. ' y 

The following are most of the flavors used by them in 
cooking soups, stews, hashes, etc. Combination of these is 
recommended by those authors in these proportions: 

One fourth of an ounce of thyme. 

One fourth of an ounce of bay leaf. 

One eighth of an ounce of marjoram. 

One eighth of an ounce of rosemary. 

Dry the above when fresh, mix in a mortar, and keep them corked tight in 

glass bottle. 

Also the following in these proportions : 

2* 



34 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

Half an ounce of nutmeg. 

Half an ounce of cloves. 

One fourth of an ounce of black pepper. 

One eighth of an ounce of Cayenne pepper. 

Pound, mix, and keep corked tight in glass. In using these with salt, put 
one ounce of the last recipe to four ounces of salt. In making force-meat 
and hashes, use at the rate of one ounce of this spiced salt to three pounds 
of meat. 

Soup Powder. — Two ounces of parsley. 

Two ounces of winter savory. 

Two ounces of sweet maijorara. 

Two ounces of lemon-thyme. 

One ounce of lemon-peel. 

One ounce of sweet basil. 

Dry, pound, sift, and keep in a tight-corked bottle. ^ 

Let the housekeeper add these flavors so that they will 
not he stro7ig^ but quite delicate, and then maJce a rule for 
the cooh. 

The peculiar excellence of French cooking is the combina- 
tion of flavors, so that no one is predominant, and all are del- 
icate in force and quantity. 



SOUPS. 35 



CHAPTER IV. 

SOUPS. 

General Directions. 

Most of the preceding stews will serve also fairly as soups, 
by adding more w^ater. Rub salt into meat for soups, but 
not for stews, as the salt extracts the juices; and in stews 
the meat is to be eaten, while in soups properly so called it 
is only the liquor that is served. Put meat into cold water 
for soups, as sloioly heating also extracts the juices. For this 
same reason, meat that is boiled for eating should be put 
into boiling water to keep the juices in it. 

Always skim often^ as soon as the water begins to simmer; 
and do not add the salt and other seasoning till the scum 
ceases to rise. 

Do not boil after the juices are extracted, as too much 
boiling injures the flavor. 

Never cool soup in metal, as there may be poison in the 
soldering or other parts. 

If you flavor your soup by vegetables, do not boil them 
in the soup, but in very little water, w^hich is to be added to 
the soup wdth them, as, it contains much of their flavor. 

When onion is used for flavor, slice and fry it, and dredge 
on a little flour ; add the water in which the vegetables for 
soup were boiled, or some meat broth, and then pour it into 
the soup. If you flavor with wine, soy, or catsup, put them 
into the tureen, and pour the soup upon them, as the flavor 
is lessened by putting them into the soup-kettle. Bread- 
crumbs, toast, or crackers also must be put in the tureen. 
Keep soup covered tight while boiling, to keep in flavors. 
If water is added, it must be boiling. The rule to guide in 
using salt and pepper is a heaping tea-spoonful of salt to a 
quart of water, and one-sixth as much pepper. But as tastes 
are diflerent, and the salt and pepper vary in strength, the 
housekeeper can, on trial, change the recipe with a pencil. 



36 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Soup stock is broth of any kind of meat prepared in large 
quantity, to keep on hand for gravies and soups. Beef and 
veal make the best stock. One hind shin of beef makes five 
quarts of stock, and one hind shin of veal makes three quarts. 
Wash and put into twice as much water as you wish to, to 
have soup, and simmer five or six hours. 

All kinds of bones should be mashed and boiled five or six 
hours, to take out all the nutriment, the liquor then strained, 
and kept in earthenware or stone, not in tin. Take off the 
fat when cool. 

Cool broth quickly, and it keeps longer. 

Use a flat-bottom kettle, as less likely to scorch. 

Soft water is best for soups ; a little soda improves hard 
water. 

Stock will keep three or four days in cool weather ; not so 
long in warm. Keep it in a cool place. When used, heat 
to boiling point, and then take up and flavor. 

Put in the salt and pepper when the meat is thoroughly 
done. 

Meat soups are best the second day, if warmed slowly and 
taken up as soon as heated. If heated too long, they become 
insipid. 

Thin soups must be strained. If to be made very clear, stir 
in one or two well beaten eggs, with the shells, and let it 
boil half an hour. 

Use the meat of the soup for a hash, warmed together with 
a little fat, and well seasoned. 

Be very careful, in using bones and cold meats for soups, 
that none is tainted^ for the soup may be ruined by a single 
bit of tainted meat or bone. 



Potato Soup. — Take six large mealy potatoes, sliced and soaked an hour. 
Add one onion, sliced and tied in a rag, a quart of milk, and a quarter of a 
pound of salt pork cut in slices. Boil three quarters of an hour, and then 
add a table-spoonful of melted butter and a well-beaten egg, mixed in a cup 
of milk. This is a favorite soup with many, and easily made. Some omit 
the pork, and use salt and pepper to flavor it, and add one well beaten egg. 

Green Corn Soup. — This is very nice made with sweet corn put into sea- 
soned soup stock. 



SOUPS. 37 

Plain Beef Soup. — Put three pounds of beef and one chopped onion, tied 
in a rag, to three quarts of cold water. Simmer till the meat is very soft — 
say four hours ; then add three tea-spoonfuls of salt, as much sugar, and 
half a tea-spoonful of pepper. Any other flavors may be added to suit the 
taste. Strain the soup, and save the meat for mince-meat or hash. Half a 
dozen sliced tomatoes will much improve this. Some would thicken with 
three or four tea-spoonfuls of potato-starch or flour. 

Kich Beef Soup. — The following is a specimen of soups that are most styl- 
ish, rich, and demand most care in preparation : 

Simmer six pounds of beef for six hours in six quarts of water, using the 
bones, broken in small pieces. Cool it, and take off the fat. Next day, an 
hour before dinner, take out the meat to use for hash or mince-meat, heat the 
liquor, throw in some salt to raise the scum, and skim it well. Then slice 
small, and boil in very little water, these vegetables : two turnips, two car- 
rots, one head of celery, one quart of tomatoes, half a head of small white 
cabbage, one pint of green corn or Shaker corn, soaked over night. Cook 
the cabbage in two waters, throwing away the first. Boil the soup half an 
hour after these are put in. Season with salt, pepper, mace, and wine to 
suit the taste. 

Green Pea Soup. — Boil the pods an hour in a gallon of water. Strain the 
liquor, and put into it four pounds of beef or mutton, and simmer one hour. 
Then add half the peas contained in half a peck of pods, and boil half an 
hour ; then thicken with two great spoonfuls of flour, and season Avith salt 
and pepper. Three tomatoes, sliced, improve this. 

Dried Bean Soup or Pea Soup. — Soak the beans, if dry, over night, and 
then boil till soft. Then strain them through a colander ; and to each quart 
of liquor add a tea-spoonful of sugar, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a salt-spoon- 
ful of pepper. Add a beaten egg, a tea-cup of milk, and two spoonfuls of 
butter. A sliced onion improves it for some, and not for others ; also, half 
the juice of a lemon when taken up. Canned sweet-corn, or common corn 
with sugar added, makes good succotash for winter. 

Clam Soup. — Wash and boil the clams till they come out of their shells easi- 
ly ; then chop them, and put them back into the liquor, which should first be 
strained. Add a tea-cup of milk for each quart of soup ; thicken with a lit- 
tle flour, into which has been worked as much butter as it will hold, and sea- 
son with salt and pepper to suit the taste. 

A Vegetable and Meat Soup for Summer.— Take three quarts of stock that 
is duly seasoned with sugar, salt, and pepper. Add two small onions, chop- 
ped fine, three small carrots, three small turnips, one stalk of celery, and a pint 
of green peas — all chopped fine. Let it simmer two hours, and then serve it. 

Dried Pea Soup with Salt Pork.— Soak a quart of split peas over night in 



38 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

soft water. Next morning wash them and put them in four quarts of water, 
with a tea-spoonful of sugar, two carrots, two small onions, and one stalk of 
celery — all cut in small pieces. Let them boil three hours. Boil a pound of 
salt pork in another pot for one hour ; take off the skin, and put the pork in 
the soup, and then boil one hour longer. 

Dried Bean or Pea Soup with Meat Stock. — Soak a pint of beans or split 
peas over night in soft water. Then boil them in three quarts of soup-stock, 
duly seasoned with salt and pepper, with one small onion, one turnip, one 
stalk of celery, and six cloves — all cut in small pieces. Let it boil four or 
five hours. Strain through a colander. 

Mutton Soup. — Boil four pounds of mutton in four quarts of water, with 
four heaping tea-spoonfuls of salt, one even tea-spoonful of pepper, two tea- 
spoonfuls of sugar, one small onion, two carrots, and two turnips — all cut fine 
— and one tea-cup of rice or broken macaroni. Boil the meat alone two 
hours ; then add the, rest, and boil one hour and a half longer. 

French Vegetable Soup. — Take a leg of lamb, of moderate size, and four 
quarts of water. Of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and turnips, take a 
tea-cupful of each, chopped fine. Salt and black pepper at the rate of one 
heaping tea-spoonful of salt to each quart of water, and one sixth as much 
black pepper. 

Wash the lamb, and put it into the four quarts of cold water. When the 
scum rises, take it oft' carefully with a skimmer. After having pared and 
chopped the vegetables, put them into the soup. Carrots require the most 
boiling, and should be put in first. This soup requires about three hours to 
boil. 

Plain Calf's Head Soup. — Boil the head and feet in just water enough to 
cover them ; when tender, take out the bones, cut in small pieces, and sea- 
son with marjoram, thyme, cloves, salt, and pepper. 

Put all into a pot, with the liquor, and four spoonfuls of butter ; stew gen- 
tly an hour ; then, just as you take it up, add two or three glasses of port- wine, 
and the yelks of three eggs boiled hard. 

An Excellent Simple Mutton Soup. — Put a piece of the fore-quarter of 
mutton into salted water, enough to more than cover it, and simmer it slow- 
ly two hours. Then peel a dozen turnips, and six tomatoes, and quarter 
them, and boil them with the mutton till just tender enough to eat. Thicken 
the soup with pearl barley. Some use, instead of tomatoes, the juice and 
rind of a lemon. Use half a tea-cup of rice, if you have no pearl barley. 



HASHES. 39 



CHAPTER V. 

HASHES. 

These are the common ways of spoiling hashes : 1. by fry- 
ing, instead of merely heating them. Melted butter and oils 
are good and healthful when only heated, but are unhealth- 
ful when fried. 2. Dredging in flour, which, not being well 
cooked, imparts a raw taste of dough. 3. Using too much 
water, making them vapid ; or too much fat or gravy, making 
them scross. 4. Usins^ too much or too little salt and other 
seasoning. The following recipes will save from these mis- 
takes, if exactly followed. When water is recommended in 
these recipes, cold gravy will be better, in which case the 
huUer may be omitted : 

A Seasoned Hash of any Fresh Meats. — Chop, but not very fine, any kinds 
of fresh meat, but be sure not to put in any that is tainted. To a common 
tumblerful of chopped meat put three table-spoonfuls of water, a tea-spoonful 
of sugar, a heaping tea-spoonful of salt, a salt-spoonful of pepper, and butter 
the size of half an egg. Warm, but do not fry ; and when hot, break in 
three eggs, and stir till they are hardened a little; then serve. Bread- 
crumbs may be added. This may be put on buttered toast or served alone. 
This and all the following hashes may be varied in flavor, by adding, in deli- 
cate proportions, the mixed flavors on another page. 

A Hash of Cold Fresh Meats and Potatoes. — Take two tumblerfuls of meat 
of any kind, chopped. Add as much cold potatoes, also chopped, two table- 
spoonfuls of sweet butter in six table-spoonfuls of hot water, and two tea- 
spoonfuls of salt. Sprinkle half a tea-spoonful of pepper over the meat, and 
also a spoonful of sugar ; mix all, and warm about twenty minutes, but not 
so as to boil or fry. Tomatoes improve this. 

Meat Hash with Eggs, (very nice.) — To a tumblerful of fresh cold meat 
cut in pieces about the 'size of peas, put three table-spoonfuls of hot water, 
two spoonfuls of butter, a tea-spoonful of sugar, two tea-spoonfuls of salt, 
and a salt-spoonful of pepper. Mix all, warm but not fry ; and when hot, 
break in four eggs, and stir till they are hardened. Spread on buttered toast 
or sen-e alone. When eggs are used, the meat should not be chopped fine. 



40 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

A Meat Hash with Tomatoes. — Cut up a pint of tomatoes into a sauce-» 
pan, and when boiling-hot, add the cold meat in thin slices, with a table- 
spoonful of sugar, and salt and pepper, at the rate of a tea-spoonful of salt 
and half a tea-spoonful of pepper to each tumblerful of meat. 

A Nice Beef Hash. — Make a gra\7- of melted butter, or take cold gravy ; 
season with salt, pepper, and currant jelly or vinegar. Cut cold roast beef 
or the remnants of cold steak into mouthfuls, and put into the gravy till 
heated, but not to fry. 

Or, season this gravy with the crushed juice of fresh tomatoes or tomato 
catsup. 

A Simple and Excellent Veal Hash. — Chop cold veal very fine ; butter a 
pudding-dish, and make alternate layers of veal and powdered crackers till 
the dish is full, the first layer of meat being at the bottom. Then beat up 
two eggs, and add a pint or less of milk, seasoned well with salt and pepper, 
and two or three spoonfuls of melted butter. Pour this over the meat and 
crackers ; cover with a plate, and bake about half an hour. Remove the 
plate awhile, and let the top brown a little. This is the best way to cook 
veal, and children are very fond of it. 

Rice and Cold Meats. — Chop remnants of fresh meats with salt pork, or 
cold ham. Season with salt and pepper and a little sugar ; add two eggs 
and a little butter. Then make alternate layers with this and slices of cold 
boiled rice, and bake it half an hour. 

Bread-Crumbs and Cold Meats. — Take any remnants of cooked fresh 
meats, and chop them fine with bits of ham or salt pork. Season with salt 
and pepper ; add three eggs and a little milk, and then thicken with pounded 
bread-crumbs. Bake it as a pudding, or warm it for a hash, or cook it in 
•flat cakes on a griddle. 

A Meat Hash with Bread-Crumbs. — One tea-spoonful of flour, (or potato 
or corn-starch,) wet in four tea-spoonfuls of cold water. Stir it into a tea- 
cupful of boiling water, and put in a salt-spoonful of pepper, two tea-spoonfuls 
-of salt, a tea-spoonful of sugar, and two table-spoonfuls of sweet butter. Use 
cold gi-avy instead of butter, if you haA^e it. Set this in a stew-pan where it 
will be kept hot, but not fry. Chop the meat veiy fine, and mix with it 
while chopping half as much dried bread-crumbs. Put this into the gravy, 
and let it heat only ten minutes, and then serve it on buttered toast. Toma- 
toes, one or two, improve this. 

A Hash of Cold Beefsteak alone or with Potatoes and Turnips.— Make a 
paste with a heaping tea- spoonful of flour in two tea -spoonfuls of water. 
Stir it into a tea-cup and a half of boihng water, with a salt-spoonful of black 
pepper, a half tea-spoonful of sugar, and two tea-spoonfuls of salt. Let it 
stand where it will be hot but not boil. Cut the beef into mouthfuls, and also 



HASHES. 41 

•, as much cold boiled potatoes and half as much boiled turnips. Mix all, and 
then add two table-spoonfuls of butter, (or some cold gravy,) and a table- 
spoonful of tomato catsup, or two sliced tomatoes. Warm, but do not frj, 
for ten minutes. 

When beef gravy is used, take less salt and pepper. 

This is a good recipe for cold beef without vegetables. 

A Hash of Cold Mutton (or Venison) and Vegetables. — Prepare as in the 
preceding recipe, but add one onion sliced fine, to hide the strong mutton 
taste. If onion is left out, put in a wine-glass of grape or currant jelly. If 
the vegetables are left out, put in a little less pepper and salt. 

A Hash of Corned Beef.— Chop the meat veiy fine, fat and lean together ; 
add twice as much cold potatoes chopped fine. For each tumblerful of this 
add butter half the size of a hen's egg melted in half a tea-cup of hot water, 
a salt-spoonful of pepper and another of salt. Heat very hot, but do not let 
it fry. Some would add parsley or other sweet herb. 

A Hash of Cold Ham.— Chop, not very fine, fat and lean together. Add 
twice the quantity of bread-crumbs chopped, but not fine. Heat it hot, then 
break in two eggs for every tumblerful of the hash. A tea-spoonful of sugar 
improves it, and a salt-spoonful of pepper. 

Meats warmed over. — Veal is best made into hashes. If it is liked more 
simply cooked, chop it fine, put in water just enough to moisten it, butter, 
salt, pepper, and a httle juice of a lemon. Some hke a little lemon-rind 
grated in. Heat it through, but do not let it fry. Put it on buttered toast, 
and garnish it with slices of lemon. 

Cold salted or fresh beef is good chopped fine with pepper, salt, and cat- 
sup, and water enough to moisten a little. Add some butter just before tak- 
ing it up, and do not let it fry, only heat it hot. It injures cooked meat to 
cook it again. Cold fowls make a nice dish to have them cut up in mouth- 
fuls ; add some of the gravy and giblet sauce, a little butter and pepper, and 
then heat them through. 

A nice Way of Cooking Cold Meats. — Chop the meat fine, add salt, pepper, 
a little onion, or else tomato catsup ; fill a tin bread-pan one third full, cover 
it over ^-ith boiled potatoes salted and mashed with cream or milk, lay bits 
of butter on the top, and set it into a Dutch or stove oven for fifteen or twen- 
ty minutes. 

A Hash of Cold Meat for Dinner, (very good.) — Peel six large tomatoes 
and one onion, and slice them. Add a spoonful o€ sugar, salt and pepper, 
and a bit of butter the size of a hen's egg, and half a pint of cold water. 
Shave up the meat into small bits, as thin as thick pasteboard. Dredge 
flour over it, say two tea-spoonfuls, or a little less. Simmer the meat with 
all the rest for half an hour and then serve it, and it is very fine. 



42 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Dried tomatoes can be used. When you have no tomatoes, make a gravy 
with water, pepper, salt, and butter, or cold gravy ; slice an onion in it, add 
tomato catsup, (two or three spoonfuls,) and then prepare the meat as above, 
and simmer it in this gravy half an hour. 

Souse. — Cleanse pigs' ears and feet and soak them a week in salt and wa- 
ter, changing the water every other day. Boil eight or ten hours till tender. 
When cold, put on salt, and pour on hot spiced vinegar. Warm them in 
lard or butter. 

Tripe. — Scrape and scour it thoroughly, soak it in salt and water a week, 
changing it every other day. Boil it eight or ten hours, till tender; then 
pour on spiced hot vinegar and broil it. 



BOILED MEATS. 43 



CHAPTER VI. 

BOILED MEATS. 

An Excellent Way to cook Tough Beef. — To eight pounds of beef put four 
quarts of water, two table-spoonfuls of salt, half a tea-spoonful of pepper, three 
tea-spoonfuls of vinegar, and four tea-spoonfuls of sugar. Put it on at eight 
in the morning, and let it simmer slowly till the water is more than half gone; 
then skim off the grease, and set it in the stove-oven till the water is all gone 
but about a tea-cupful, which is for gravy, and may be thickened a little. 
Add boiling water, if it goes too fast, (for in some kinds of weather it will 
evaporate much faster than in other days). This dish should be very tender, 
and is excellent cold, especially if it is pressed under a heavy weight. This 
was a favorite soldier's dish ; and tough meat is as good as it is tender, when 
thus cooked. 

Boiled Ham. — The best way to cook a ham is first to wash it ; then take 
off the skin and bake it in a pan, with a little water in it, in a stove or brick 
oven, till tender, which is found by a fork piercing easily. Allow twenty 
minutes for each pound. 

To boil a ham, soak it over night ; then wash in two waters, using a brush. 
Boil slowly, and allow fifteen minutes for each pound. When cold, take off 
the skin, and ornament with dots of pepper and fringed paper tied around 
the shank. 

A nice way to treat a cold boiled ham is, after removing the skin, to rub 
it over with beaten egg, and then spread over powdered cracker, wet with 
milk, and let it brown in the oven. Boiled ham is much improved by set- 
ting it in the oven half an hour, making it sweeter, while the fat that tries 
out is useful for cooking. 

Boiled Beef. — Put it in salted water, (a tea-spoonful for each quart ;) have 
enough to cover it. Skim well just before it begins to boil, and as long as 
the scum rises. Allow about fifteen minutes to each pound, or more for 
beef. Drain well, and serve with vegetables boiled separately. 

Boiled Fowls. — Wash the inside carefully with soda water, to remove any 
taint. Stuff with seasoned bread-crumbs, or cracker, wet up with eggs, and 
sew up the openings. Put them in hoiling water, enough to cover, and 
let them simmer gently till tender. It is a good plan to wrap in a cloth 
dredged with flour. 

Fricasseed Fowls. — Cut them up, and put in a pot, with cold water enough 



44 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

to cover. Put some salt pork over, and let them simmer slowly till very ten- 
der and the water mostly gone. When done, stir in a cup of milk, mixed 
with two well-beaten eggs, first mixing slowly some of the hot liquor with 
the milk and eggs. 

Some fry the pork first, thus increasing the flavor, and others leave it out. 

To Boil a Leg or Shoulder of Veal, or Mutton, or Lamb. — Mutton should 
be cooked more rare than any other meat. Make a stuffing of chopped 
bread, seasoned with pepper and salt, and mixed with one or two eggs. 
Make deep gashes in the meat, (or, better, take out the bone ;) fill the open- 
ings with stuffing and sew them up. Wrap it tight in a cloth, and put it so 
as to be covered with water, salted at the rate of a tea-spoonful to each quart. 
Let it simmer slowly about two or three hours. Skim thoroughly just before 
it comes to boiling heat. If needful, add boiling water. Save the water for 
broth for next day. If you pour cold water on the cloth before removing it, 
and let it stand two minutes, it improves the looks. 

Calf's Feet. — Wash and scrape till veiy clean. Boil three hours in four 
quarts of water salted with four even tea-spoonfuls of salt. Take out the 
bones, and put the rest into a saucepan, with three table-spoonfuls of butter, 
two table-spoonfuls of vinegar, a great-spoonful of sugar, and a salt-spoonful 
of pepper. Add three tea-cups of the liquor in which the feet were boiled ; 
dredge in some flour, and simmer for fifteen minutes. Garnish with sliced 
lemon. (Save the liquor to make calf s-foot jelly.) 

Calf's Liver and Sweetbreads. — These are best split open, boiled, and then 
dressed with pepper, salt, and butter. 

To cook Kidneys. — Wash them clean, and split them. Heat them half an 
hour in a saucepan, without water. Then wash them again, and cover them 
with a pint of water, having in it a tea-spoonful of salt and a salt-spoonful of 
pepper. Boil one hour, and then take off the skin. Cut them in mouthfuls ; 
add two great-spoonfuls of butter, more salt and hot water, if needed, and let 
them simmer fifteen minutes. 

Pillau, a Favorite Dish in the South. — Fricassee a chicken with slices 
of salt pork, or with sweet butter or sweet cream. Put the chicken, when 
cooked, in a bake-dish, and cover it with boiled rice, seasoned with salt, 
pepper, and one dozen allspice. Pile the rice, pour on some melted butter, 
smooth it, and cover with yelk of an egg. Bake half an hour. 

To boil Smoked Tongues. — Soak in cold water only two hours, as long 
soaking lessens sweetness. Wash them, and boil four or five hours, accord- 
mg to the size. When done, take off the skin and garnish with parsley. 
A table-spoonful of sugar for each tongue, put in the water, improves them. 

To boil Corned Beef. — Do not soak it, but wash it, and put it in hot water. 



BOILED MEATS. 45 

to keep in the juices ; allow a pint for each pound. Skim just before it begins 
to boil. Let it simmer slowly, and allow twenty-five minutes for eveiy pound. 
Keep it covered with water, adding boihng hot water, if needed. It is much 
improved for eating cold by pressing it with a board and heavy stone. It is 
an excellent piece of economy to save the water to use for soup. 

Some think it an improvement to put on a little sugar, and pour a little 
vinegar on before boiling. Some like to boil turnips, potatoes, and cabbage 
with it. In that case, they must be peeled, and the potatoes soaked two 
hours. 

To boil Partridges or Pigeons. — Cleanse and rinse the insides with soda- 
water, and then with pure water. Wrap them in a damp floured cloth ; put 
them into boiling water which is salted at the rate of a heaping tea-spoonful 
to a quart ; also, two tea-spoonfuls of sugar and a salt-spoonful of pepper. 
Simmer them twenty minutes to half an hour. When done, make a sauce of 
butter rubbed into flour and half a cup of milk ; put the birds into a dish and 
pour on this sauce. Some would add cut parsley, or other flavors. 

To boil Ducks. — Let them lie in hot water two hours. Then wrap in a 
cloth dredged with flour ; put them in cold water, salted at the rate of half 
a tea-spoonful for each pint. Add a tea-spoonful of sugar for each pint. Let 
them simmer half an hour ; then take them up, and pour over them a sauce 
made of melted butter rubbed into flour, and seasoned with lemon-juice, salt, 
and pepper, and thinned with gravy or hot water. 

Wild ducks must be soaked in salt and water the night previous, to remove 
the fishy taste, and then in the morning put in fresh water, which should be 
changed once or twice. 

To boil a Turkey. — Make a stuffing for the craw of chopped bread and but- 
ter, cream, oysters, and the yelks of eggs. Sew it in, and dredge flour over 
the turkey, and put it in hot water to boil, with a spoonful of salt in it, and 
enough water to cover it well. Let it simmer for two hours and a half, or, 
if small, less time. Skim it while boiling. It will look nicer if wrapped in 
a cloth dredged with flour while cooking. 

SeiTe it with drawn butter, in which are put some oysters. 



46 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEE, 



CHAPTER VII. 

ROAST AND BAKED MEATS. 

The beef of au ox is best, and the next best is that of a 
heifer. The best pieces for roasting are the second cut of 
the sirloin, the second cut of the ribs, and the back part of 
the rump. 

The art of roasting well consists in turning the meat often, 
to prevent burning, and basting often, to make it juicy. 

Never dredge flour into gravies, as it makes lumps. Strain 
all gravies. 

Brown Flour for Meat Gravies. — This is used to thicken meat gi-avies, to 
give a good color. It is prepared by putting flour on a tin plate in a hot oven, 
stirring it often until well browned ; it must be kept, corked, in a jar, and 
shaken occasionaUj. 

Roast Beef. — A piece of beef weighing ten pounds requires about two hours 
to roast in a tin oven before a fire. Allow ten minutes for each pound over 
or under this weight. Have the spit and oven clean and bright. They should 
have been washed before they grew cold from the last roasting. 

Put the meat on the spit so that it will be evenly balanced ; set the bony- 
side toward the fire ; let it roast slowly at first, turning it often ; and when all 
sides are partly cooked, move it nearer the fire. If allowed to scorch at first, 
it will not cook in the middle without burning the outside. 

Baste often with the drippings and with salted water, (about half a pint of 
water with half a tea-spoonful of salt,) which has been put in the oven bottom. 
Just before taking up, dredge on some flour, mixed with a little salt ; then 
baste and set it near the fire, turning it so as to brown it all over alike. Half 
an hour before it is done, pour off" the gravy, season it with salt and pepper, 
and thicken with corn or potato-starch, or flour. 

To roast in a Cook Stove. — Put the meat in an iron pan, with three or four 
gills of water, and a tea-spoonful of salt. Turn it occasionally, that it may 
cook evenly, and baste often. When done, dredge on some salted flour, 
baste again, and set it back till browned. 

Roast Pork. — Cover a spare-rib with greased paper, till half done ; then 
dredge with flour, and baste with the gravy. Just before taking it up, cover 
the surface with cracker or bread-crumbs, wet up with pepper, salt, and pow- 



KOAST AND BAKED MEATS. 47 

dered sage ; let it cook ten minutes longer, and then baste again. Skim the 
gravy, thicken it with brown flour, season with a little powdered sage and 
lemon-juice, or vinegar ; strain it, and pour over the meat. Pork must be 
cooked slowly and very thoroughly, and served with apple-sauce. Tomato 
catsup improves the gravy. 

Koast Mutton. — The leg of mutton may be boiled. The shoulder and loin 
should always be roasted. 

Put the meat in the oven or roaster, and then pour boiling hot water over 
it, to keep in the juices. Baste often with salt and water at first and then 
with the gravy. With a hot fire, allow ten minutes for each pound. If 
there is danger of burning, cover the outside with oiled white paper. Skim 
the gravy ; strain it and thicken with brown flour. Serve with acid jelly. 
Lamb requires less time in roasting ; but mutton should be rare. Make a 
brown gravy, and serve with currant jelly. 

Roast Veal. — Follow the above directions for roasting mutton, except to 
allow more time, as veal should be cooked more than mutton. Allow twenty 
minutes to each pound, and baste often. Too much roasting and little bast- 
ing spoils veal. To be served with apple-sauce. It much improves roast 
A^al to cut slits in it, and insert bits of salt pork. 

Koast Poultry. — No fowl should be bought Avhen the entrails are not drawn ; 
and the insides should always be washed with soda-water — a tea-spoonful of 
soda to a pint of water. Rinse out with fair water. Stuff with seasoned 
bread-cram bs, wet up with eggs. Sew and tie the stuffing in thoroughly. 
Allow about ten minutes' cooking for each pound, more or less, according to 
the fire and size of the fowl. 

Put a grate in the bake-pan, Avith a tea-cup of salted water. Dredge the 
fowl with flour at first, and baste often. Strain the gravy, and add the gib- 
lets, chopped fine. Many dislike the liver, and so leave it out. If fowls are 
bought with the intestines in, or if they have been kept too long, the use of 
soda-water, and then rinsing with pure water, will often prevent the tainted 
taste ; so it is well to do this, except when it is certain that the fowl is just 
killed. Put a tea-spoonful of soda to a pint of water. 

Pot-Pie, of Beef, Veal, or Chicken.— The best way to make the crust is as 
follows : Peel, boil, and mash a dozen potatoes ; add a tea-spoonful of salt, 
two table-spoonfuls of butter, and half a cup of milk, or cream. Then stiffen 
it with flour, till you can roll it. Be sure to get all the lumps out of the po- 
tatoes. Some persons leave out the butter. 

Some roll butter into the dough of bread ; others make a raised biscuit, 
with but little shortening ; others make a plain soda pie-crust. But none 
are so good and healthful as the potato crust ; so choose what is best for all. 

To prepare the meat, first fry half a dozen slices of salt pork, and then cut 
up the meat and pork, and boil them in just water enough to cover them, till 
the meat is nearly cooked. Then peel a dozen potatoes, and sUce them thin. 



48 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Koll the cinist half an inch thick, and cut it into oblong pieces. Then put 
alternate layers of crust, potatoes, and meat, till all is used. The top and 
bottom layer must be crust. Divide the pork so as to have some in each 
layer. 

Lastly, pour on the liquor in which the meat was boiled, until it just covers 
the whole, and let it simmer till the top crust is well cooked — say half or three 
quarters of an hour. Season the liquor with salt, at the rate of a tea-spoon- 
ful for each quart, and one sixth as much pepper. If you have occasion to 
add more liquor, or water, it must be boiling hot, or the crast will be spoiled. 

The excellence of this pie depends on having light crust, and therefore the 
meat must first be nearly cooked before putting it in the pie ; and the crust 
must be in only just long enough to cook, or it will be clammy and hard. 

Mutton and Beef Pie. — Line a dish with a crust made of potatoes, as di- 
rected in the Chicken Pot-Pie. Broil the meat ten minutes, after pounding 
it till the fibres are broken. Cut the meat thin, and put it in layers, with thin 
slices of broiled salt pork ; season with butter, the size of a hen's egg, salt, 
pepper, (and either wine or catsup, if liked ;) put in water till it nearly covers 
the meat, and dredge in considerable flour ; cover it with the paste, and bake 
it an hour and a half, if quite thick. Cold meats are good cooked over in 
this way. Cut a slit in the centre of the cover. 

Chicken-Pie. — Joint and boil two chickens in salted water, just enough to 
cover them, and simmer slowly for half an hour. Line a dish with potato 
crust, as directed in the recipe for pot-pie ; then, when cold, put the chicken 
in layers, with thin slices of broiled pork, butter, the size of a goose egg, cut 
in small pieces. Put in enough of liquor, in which the meat was boiled, to 
reach the surface ; salt and pepper each layer ; dredge in a little flour, and 
cover all with a light, thick crust. Ornament the top with the crust, and 
bake about one hour in a hot oven. Make a small slit in the centre of the 
crust. If it begins to scorch, lay a paper over a shoi't time. 

Rice Chicken-Pie. — Line a pudding-dish with slices of broiled ham ; cut up 
a boiled chicken, and nearly fill the dish, filling in with gravy or melted but- 
ter ; add minced onions, if you like, or a little curry powder. 

Then pile boiled rice to fill all interstices, and cover the top quite thick. 
Bake it for half or three quarters of an hour. 

Potato-Pie. — Take mashed potatoes, seasoned with salt, butter, and milk, 
and line a baking-dish. Lay upon it slices of cold meats of any kind, with 
salt, pepper, catsup, and butter or gravy. Put on another layer of potatoes, 
and then another of cold meat, as before. Lastly, on the top put a cover of 
potatoes. 

Bake it till it is thoroughly warmed through, and serve it in the dish in 
which it is baked, setting it in or upon another. 

Calf's Head.— Take out the brains and boil the head, feet, and lights in 



ROAST AND BAKED MEATS. 49 

salted water, just enough to cover them, about two hours. When they have 
boiled nearly an hour and a half, tie the brains in a cloth and put them in 
to boil with the rest. They should be skinned, and soaked half an hour in 
cold water. When the two hours have expired, take up the whole, mash 
the brains fine, and season them with bread-crumbs, pepper, salt, and a glass 
of port or claret, and use them for sauce. Let the liquor remain for a soup 
the next day. It serves more handsomely to remove all the bones. Serve 
with a gravy of drawn butter. 

3 



50 THE HOUSEKEEPEE AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

BROILED AND FRIED MEATS AND RELISHES. 

Broiled Mutton or Lamb Chops. — Cut off the skinny part, which only turns 
black and can not be eaten. Put a little pepper and salt on each one, and 
broil by a quick fire. Mutton chops should be rare. 

Broiled Beefsteak. — Have the steak cut three quarters of an inch to an 
inch in thickness. The sirloin aijd porter-house are the best. The art of 
cooking steak will depend on a good fire and turning often after it begins to 
drip. When done, lay it on a hot platter, season with butter, pepper, and 
salt ; cover with another hot platter, and send to the table. Use beef-tongs, 
as pricking lets out the juices. Slow cooking and mtich cooking spoils a steak. 

Broiled Fresh Pork. — Cut in thin slices, broil quickly and very thoroughly ; 
then season with salt, pepper, and powdered sage. 

Broiled Ham. — Cut in thin slices, and soak fifteen minutes in hot water. 
Pour oif this and soak again as long. Wipe diy and broil over a quick fire, 
and then pepper it. Ham that is already cooked rare is best for broiling. 

Broiled Sweetbreads. — The best way to cook sweetbreads is to broil them 
thus : Parboil them, and then put them on a clean gridiron for broihng. 
When delicately browned, take them off and roll in melted butter on a plate, 
to prevent their being dry and hard. Some cook them on a griddle well 
buttered, turning frequently ; and some put narrow strips of fat salt pork on 
them while cooking. 

Broiled Veal. — Cut it thin, and put thin slices of salt pork on the top after 
it is laid on the gridiron, and broil both together. When turning, put the 
pork again on the top. When the veal is thoroughly cooked, brown the pork 
a little by itself, while the veal stands on a hot dish. 

A good Pork Relish. — Broil thin slices of fresh pork, first pouring on boil- 
ing water to lessen saltness. Cut them in small mouthfuls, and add butter, 
pepper, and salt. 

FRIED MEATS AND RELISHES. 

The most slovenly and unhealthful mode of cooking is fry- 
ing, as it usually is done. If the fat is very hot, and the 
articles are put in and taken out exactly at the right time, it 



BROILED AND FKIEDy'^MEATS AND RELISHES. 51 

is well enough. But fried fat is hard to digest, and most 
fried food is soaked with it, so that only a strong stomach 
can digest it. Almost every thing that is fried might be 
better cooked on a griddle slightly oiled. A griddle should 
always be oiled only just enough to keep from sticking. It 
is best to fry in lard not salted, and this is better than but- 
ter. Mutton and beef suet are good for frying. When the 
lard seems hot, tiy it by throwing in a bit of bread. When 
taking up fried articles, drain off the fat on a wire sieve.- 

A nice Way of Cooking Calf's or Pig's Liver. — Cut in slices half an inch 
thick, pour on boiling water, and then pour if off entirely ; then let the liver 
brown in its own juices, turning it till it looks brown on both sides. Take it 
up, and pour into the frying-pan enough cold water to make as much gravy 
as you wish ; then sliver in a very little oryon ; add a little salt and nutmeg, 
and a bit of butter to season it; let it boil up once, then put back the liver 
for a minute longer. 

. Beef Liver. — Cut it in slices half an inch thick, pour boiling water on it, 
broil it with thin slices of pork dipped in flour, cut it in mouthfuls, and heat 
it with butter, pepper, and salt for three or four minutes. 

Egg Omelet.— Beat the yelks of six eggs, and add a cup of milk, half a tea- 
spoonful of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour into hot fat, and cook till just 
stiffened. Turn it on to a platter brown side uppermost. Some add minced 
cooked ham, or cold meat chopped and salted. Others put in chopped cauli- 
flower or asparagus cooked and cold. 

Frizzled Beef.— Sliver smoked beef, pour on boiling water to freshen it, 
then pour off the water, and frizzle the beef in butter. 

Veal Cheese.— Prepare equal quantities of sliced boiled veal and boiled 
smoked tongue, or ham sliced. Pound each separately in a mortar, moisten- 
ing with butter as you proceed. Then take a stone jar, or tin can, and mix 
them in it, so that it will, when cut, look mottled and variegated. Press it 
hard, and pour on melted butter. Keep it covered in a dry place. To be 
used at tea in slices. 

A Codfish Relish.— Take thin slivers of codfish, lay them on hot coals, and 
when done to a yellowish brown, set them on the table. 

Another Way.— Sliver the codfish fine, pour on boiling water, drain it off, 
and add butter and a very little pepper, and heat them three or four minutes, 
but do not let them fiy. 

Salt Herrings. — Heat them on a gridiron, remove the skin, and then set 
them on the table. 



52 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PICKLES. 

Do not keep pickles in common earthenware, as the glaz- 
ing contains lead, and combines with the vinegar. 

Vinegar for pickling should be sharp, but not the sharpest 
kind, as it injures the pickles. Wine or cider vinegar is re- 
liable. Much manufactured vinegar is sold that ruins pickles 
and is unhealthful. If you use copper, bell-metal, or brass 
vessels for pickling, never allow the vinegar to cool in them, 
as it then is poisonous. Add a table-spoonful of alum and 
a tea-cup of salt to each three gallons of vinegar, and tie uj) a 
bag with pepper, ginger-root, and spices of all sorts in it, and 
you have vinegar prepared for any kind of common pickling, 
and in many cases all that is needed is to throw the fruit in 
and keep it in till wanted. 

Keep pickles only in wood or stone ware. 

Any thing that has held grease will spoil pickles. 

Stir pickles occasionally, and if there are soft ones, take 
them out, scald the vinegar, and pour it hot over the pickles. 
Keep enough vinegar to cover them well. If it is weak, take 
fresh vinegar, and pour on hot. Do not boil vinegar or spice 
over five minutes. 

Sweet Pickles, (a great favorite. ) — One pound of sugar, one quart of vine- 
gar, two pounds of fruit. Boil fifteen minutes, skim well, put in the fruit and 
let it boil till half cooked. For peaches, flavor with cinnamon and mace ; 
for plums and all dark fruit, use allspice and cloves. 

To pickle Tomatoes. — As you gather them, leave an inch or more of stem ; 
throw them into cold vinegar. When you have enough, take them out, and 
scald some spices, tied in a bag, in good vinegar; add a little sugar, and 
pour it hot over them. 

To pickle Peaches. — Take ripe but hard peaches, wipe off the down, stick 
a few cloves into them, and lay them in cold spiced vinegar. In three 
months they will be sufficiently pickled, and also retain much of their nat- 
jtiral flavor. 



PICKLES. 53 

To pickle Peppers. — Take green peppers, take the seeds out carefully so 
as not to mangle them, soak them nine days in salt and water, changing it 
every day, and keep them in a warm place. Stuff them with chopped cab- 
bage, seasoned with cloves, cinnamon, and mace ; put them in cold spiced 
vinegar. 

To pickle Nasturtions. — Soak them three days in salt and water as you 
collect them, changing it once in three days ; and when you have enough, 
pour off the brine, and pour on scalding hot vinegar. 

To pickle Onions. — Peel, and boil in milk and water ten minutes, drain off 
the milk and water, and pour scalding spiced vinegar on to them. 

To pickle Gherkins. — Keep them in strong brine till they are yellow, then 
take them out and turn on hot spiced vinegar, and keep them in it, in a 
warm place, till they turn green. Then turn off the vinegar, and add a fresh 
supply of hot spiced vinegar. 

To pickle Mushrooms. — Stew them in salted water, just enough to keep 
them from sticking. When tender, pour off the water, and pour on hot 
spiced vinegar. Then cork them tight, if you wish to keep them long. 
Poison ones will turn black if an onion is stewed with them, and then all 
must be thrown away. 

To pickle Cucumbers. — Wash the cucumbers in cold water, being careful 
not to bruise or break them. Make a brine of rock or blown salt (rock is 
the best), strong enough to bear up an egg or potato, and of sufficient quan- 
tity to cover the cucumbers. 

Put them into an oaken tub, or stone-ware jar, and pour the brine over 
them. In twenty-four hours, they should be stirred up from the bottom 
with the hand. The third day pour off the brine, scald it, and pour it over 
the cucumbers. Let them stand in the brine nine days, scalding it every 
third day, as described above. Then take the cucumbers into a tub, rinse 
them in cold water, and if they are too salt, let them stand in it a few hours. 
Drain them from the water, put them back into the tub or jar, which must 
be washed clean from the brine. Scald vinegar sufficient to cover them, 
and pour it upon them. Cover them tight, and in a week they will be ready 
for use. If spice is wanted, it may be tied in a linen cloth and put into the 
jar with the pickles, or scalded with the vinegar, and the bag thrown into 
the pickle-jar. If a white scum rises, take it off and scald the vinegar, and 
pour it back. A small lump of alum added to the vinegar improves the 
hardness of the cucumbers. 

Pickled Walnuts. — Take a hundred nuts, an ounce of cloves, an ounce of 
allspice, an ounce of nutmeg, an ounce of whole pepper, an ounce of race 
ginger, an ounce of horse-radish, half pint of mustard-seed, and four cloves 
of garlic, tied in a bag. 



54 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Wipe the nuts, prick with a pin, and put them in a pot, springing the spice 
as you lay them in ; then add two table-spoonfuls of salt ; boil sufficient vine- 
gar to fill the pot, and pour it over the nuts and spice. Cover the jar close, 
and keep it for a year, when the pickles Avill be ready for use. 

Butternuts may be made in the same manner, if they are taken when 
green, and soft enough to be stuck through with the head of a pin. Put 
them for a week or two in weak brine, changing it occasionally. Before 
putting in the brine, rub them about with a broom in brine, to cleanse the 
skins. Then proceed as for the walnuts. 

The ■\anegar makes an excellent catsup. 

Mangoes. — Take the latest growth of young musk-melons, cut out a small 
piece from one side and empty them. Scrape the outside smooth, and soak 
them four days in strong salt and water. If you wish to green them, put 
vine leaves over and under, with bits of alup, and steam them awhile. Then 
powder cloves, pepper, and nutmeg in equal portions, and sprinkle on the in- 
side, and fill them with strips of horse-radish, small bits of calamus, bits of 
cinnamon and mace, a clove or two, a very small onion, nasturtions, and 
then American mustard- seed to fill the crevices. Put back the piece cut 
out, and sew it on, and then sew the mango in cotton cloth. Lay all in a 
stone jar, the cut side upward. 

Boil sharp vinegar a few minutes wit^i half a tea-cup of salt, and a table- 
spoonful of alum to three gallons of vinegar, and turn it on to the melons. 
Keep dried barberries for garnishes, and when you use them, turn a little of 
the above vinegar of the mangoes heated boiling hot on to them, and let 
them swell a few hours. Sliced and salted cabbage with this vinegar poured 
on hot is very good. 

Fine pickled Cabbage. — Shred red and white cabbage, spread it in layers 
in a stone jar, with salt over each layer. Put two spoonfuls of whole black 
pepper, and the same quantity of allspice, cloves, and cinnamon, in a bag, 
and scald them in two quarts of vinegar, and pour the vinegar over the cab- 
bage, and cover it tight. Use it in two days after. 

An excellent Way of preparing Tomatoes to eat with Meat. — Peel and 
slice ripe tomatoes, sprinkhng on a little salt as you proceed. Drain off the 
juice, and pour on hot spiced vinegar. 

To pickle Martinoes. — Gather them when you can run a pin-head into 
them, and after wiping them, keep them ten days in weak brine, changing it 
every other day. Then wipe them, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar. 
In four weeks they will be ready for use. It is a fine pickle. 

A convenient Way to pickle Cucumbers. — Put some spiced vinegar in a 
jar, with a little salt in it. Every time you gather a mess, pour boiling vine- 
gar on them, with a little alum in it. Then put them in the spiced vinegar. 
Keep the same vinegar for scalding all. When you have enough, take all 



PICKLES. 55 

from the spiced vinegar, and scald in the alum vinegar two or three minutes, 
till gi-een, and then put them back in the spiced vinegar. 

Indiana Pickles. — Take green tomatoes, and slice them. Put them in a 
basket to drain in layers, with salt scattered over them, say a tea-cupful to 
each gallon. Next day, slice one quarter the quantity of onions, and lay the 
onions and tomatoes in alternate layers in a jar, with spice intervening. 
Then fill the jar with cold vinegar. Tomatoes picked as they ripen, and just 
thrown into cold spiced vinegar, are a fine pickle, and made with very little 
trouble. 

To pickle Cauliflower, or Broccoli. — Keep them twenty- four hours in strong 
brine, and then take them out and heat the brine, and pour it on scalding hot, 
and let them stand till next day. Drain them, and throw them into spiced 
vinegar. 



56 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER X. 

SAUCES AND SALADS. 

Success in preparing savory meats and salads depends 
greatly on the different sauces, and these demand extra care 
in preparation and in flavoring. The following is a sauce 
that is a great favorite, and serves for some meats, for fish, 
for macaroni, and for some salads : 

^ • 

Milk and Egg Sauce, (excellent.) — Take eight table- spoonfuls of butter and 
mix it with a table-spoonful of flour, add a pint of milk and heat it, stimng 
constantly till it thickens a little. Then beat the yelk of an egg in a table- 
spoonful of water and mix it well with the sauce, taking care that it does not 
boil, but only be very hot. For fish, add to the above a table-spoonful of 
vinegar or lemon-juice and a little of the peel grated. Some add parsley 
chopped ; and for boiled fowls, add chopped oysters. Fine bread-crumbs are 
better than flour for thickening. For macaroni, make in the dish alternate 
layers with that and grated cheese, and then pour on this sauce before bak- 
ing, and it is veiy fine. Some omit the cheese. 

Drawn Butter. — Take six table-spoonfuls of butter, half a tea-spoonful of 
salt, two tea-spoonfuls of flour or of fine bread-crumbs worked into the butter, 
and one tea-cup of hot Avater. Heat very hot, but do not let it boil. Two 
hard-boiled and chopped eggs improve it much. For fish, add a table-spoon- 
ful of vinegar and chopped capers or green nasturtion seeds. 

Mint Sauce for Roast Lamb. — Chop three table-spoonfuls of green mint, 
and add a heaping table-spoonful of sugar and half a cofFee-cup of vinegar. 
Stir them while heating, and cool before using. 

Cranberry Sauce. — ^^\^ash well and put a tea-cup of water to every quart 
of cranberries. Let them stew^ about an hour and a half, then take up and 
sweeten abundantly. Some strain them through a colander, then sweeten 
largely and then put into moulds. To be eaten with fowls. 

Apple Sauce. — Core and slice the best apples you can get, cook till soft, 
then add sugar and a little butter. Serve it with fresh pork and veal. 

Walnut or Butternut Catsup. — Gather the nuts when they can be pierced 
with a pin. Beat them to a soft pulp and let them lie for two weeks in quite 



SAUCES AND SALADS. 57 

salt water, say a small handful of salt to every twenty, and water enough to 
cover them. Drain off this liquor, and pour on a pint of boiling vinegar and 
mix with the nuts, and then strain it out. To each quart of this liquor put 
three table-spoonfuls of pepper, one of ginger, two spoonfuls of powdered 
cloves, and three spoonfuls of grated nutmeg. Boil an hour, and bottle when 
cold. See that the spice is equally mixed. Do not use mushroom catsup, as 
the above is as good and not so dangerous. 

Mock Capers. — Dry the green but full-grown nasturtion seeds for a day in 
the sun, then put them in jars and pour on spiced vinegar. These are good 
for fish sauce, in drawn butter. 

Salad Dressing. — Mash fine two boiled potatoes, and add a tea-spoonful 
of mustard, two of salt, four of sweet-oil, three of sharp vinegar, and the yelks 
of two well-boiled eggs rubbed fine. Mix first the egg and potatoes, add the 
mustard and salt, and gradually mix in the oil, stirring vigorously the while. 
Stir in the vinegar last. Melted butter may be used in place of sweet-oil. 
The more a salad dressing is stirred, the better it will be. 

Turkey or Chicken Salad, also a lettuce Salad. — Take one quarter chopped 
meat (the white meat of the fowl is the best for this purpose) and three quar- 
ters chopped celery, well mixed, and pour over it a sauce containing the yelks 
of two hard-boiled eggs chopped, a tea-spoonful of salt, half a salt-spoonful 
of black pepper, half a tea-spoonful of mustard, three tea-spoonfuls of sugar, 
half a tea-cupful of vinegar, and three tea-spoonfuls of sweet-oil or of melted 
butter. Mix the salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard thoroughly, whip a raw 
egg and add slowly, stir in the sweet-oil or melted butter, mixing it well and 
very slowly, and lastly add the vinegar. Garnish with rings of whites of eggs 
boiled hard. Chopped pickles may be added, and white cabbage in place of 
the celery. 

Tomato Catsup. — Boil a peck of tomatoes, strain through a colander, and 
then add four great-spoonfuls of salt, one of pounded mace, half a table-spoon- 
ful of black pepper, a table-spoonful of powdered cloves, two table-spoonfuls 
of ground mustard, and a table-spoonful of celery seed tied in a muslin rag. 
Mix all and boil five or six hours, stirring frequently and constantly the last 
hour. Let it cool in a stone jar, take out the celery seed, add a pint of vine- 
gar, bottle it, and keep it in a dark, cool place. 

3* 



58 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XL 

FISH. 

Stewed Oysters. — Strain off all the oyster liquor, and then add half as 
much water as you have oysters. Some of the best housekeepers say this is 
better than using the liquor. Add a salt-spoonful of salt for each pint of 
oysters, and half as much pepper ; and when they begin to simmer, add half 
a small tea-cup of milk for each pint of oysters. When the edges begin to 
"ruffle," add some butter, and do not let them stand, but serve immediately. 
Oysters should not simmer more than five minutes in the whole. When 
cooked too long, they become hard, dark, and tasteless. 

Fried Oysters. — Lay them on a cloth to absorb the liquor ; then dip first 
in beaten egg, and afterward in powdered cracker, and fry in hot lard or but- 
ter to a light brown. If fresh lard is used, put in a little salt. Cook quickly 
in very hot fat, or they will absorb too much grease. 

Oyster Fritters. — Drain off the liquor, and to each pint of oysters take a 
pint of milk, a salt-spoonful of salt, half as much pepper, and flour enough 
for a thin batter. Chop the oysters and stir in, and then fry in hot lard, a 
little salted, or in butter. Drop in one spoonful at a time. Some make the 
batter thicker, so as to put in one oyster at a time surrounded by the batter. 

Scalloped Oysters. — Make alternate layers of oysters and crushed crackers 
wet with oyster liquor, and milk warmed. Sprinkle each layer with_^salt and 
pepper, (some add a very little nutmeg or cloves ;) let the top and bottom 
layer be crackers. Put bits of butter on the top, pour on some milk with a 
beaten egg in it, and bake half an hour. 

Broiled Oysters. — Dip in fine cracker crumbs^ broil very quick, and put a 
small bit of butter on each when ready to serve. 

Oyster Omelet, (very fine.) — Take twelve large oysters chopped fine. Mix 
the beaten yelks of six eggs into a tea-cupful of milk, and add the oysters. 
Then put in a spoonful of melted butter, and lastly add the whites of the eggs 
beaten to a stiff froth. Fry this in hot butter or salted lard, and do not stir 
it while cooking. Slip a knife around the edges while cooking, that the cen- 
tre may cook equally, and turn it out so that the brown side be uppermost. 

Pickled Oysters. — Take for fifty large oysters half a pint of vinegar, six 
blades of mace, twelve black pepper-corns, and twelve whole cloves. Heat 
the oysters Avith the liquor, but not to boil ; take out the oysters, and then 



FISH. 69 

put the vinegar and spices into the liquor, boil it, and when the oysters are 
nearly cold, pour on the mixture scalding hot. Next day cork the oysters 
tight in glass jars, and keep them in a dark and cool place. Vinegar is 
sometimes made of sulphuric or pyroligneous acid, and this destroys the 
pickles. Use cider or wine vinegar. 

Roast Oysters. — Put oysters in the shell, after washing them, upon the 
coals so that the flat side is uppermost, to save the liquor ; and take them up 
when they begin to gape a little. 

Scallops. — Dip them in beaten egg and cracker crumbs, and fry or stew 
them like oysters. 

Clams. — Wash them and roast them ; or stew or fry them like oysters ; or 
make omelets or fritters by the recipe for oysters. 

Clam Chowder. — Make alternate layers of crackers wet in milk, and clams 
with their liquor, and thin slices of fried salt pork. Season with black pep- 
per and salt. Boil three quarters of an hour. Put this into a tureen, hav- 
ing drained off some liquor which is to be thickened with flour or pounded 
crackers, seasoned with catsup and wine, and then poured into the tureen. 
Serve with pickles. 

Boiled Fish. — Wrap in a cloth wet with vinegar, floured inside. Boil in 
cold salted water till the bones will slip out easily ; drain and serve with egg 
sauce, or drawn butter, or a sauce of milk, butter, and egg. Try boiUng fish 
with a fork, and if that goes in easily, it probably is done. 

Broiled Fish. — Split so that the backbone is in the middle; sprinkle with 
salt ; lay the inside dowTi at first till it begins to brown, then turn and broil 
the other side. Dress with butter, pepper, and salt. It is best to take out 
the backbone. 

Baked Fish. — Wash and wipe, and rub with salt and pepper outside and 
inside. Set it on a grate over a baking-pan, and baste with butter and the 
drippings ; if it browns too fast, cover with white paper. Thicken the gravy, 
and season to the taste, using lemon-juice or tomato catsup. Some put in 
wine. 

Pickle for cold Fish. — To two quarts of vinegar add a pint of the liquor in 
which the fish was boiled, a dozen black pepper-corns, a dozen cloves, three 
sticks of cinnamon, and a tea-spoonful of mustard. Let them boil up, and 
then skim so as not to take out the spice. 

Cu^ the fish into inch squares, and when the liquor boils, put them into it 
till just heated through. Pack tight in a glass jar, and then pour on the 
pickle ; cook it till air-tight. This will keep a long time. It is a great con- 
venience for a supper relish. 



60 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER XII. 

VEGETABLES. 

Fkesh- GATHERED vegetables are much the best. Soak- 
ing in cold water improves all. Always boil in salted ^Yater, 
a tea-spoonful for each quart of water. Do not let them 
stop boiling, or they will thus become watery. 

POTATOES. 

The excellence of potatoes depends greatly on the species 
and on the age. Much also depends on the cooking, and 
here there are diversities of modes and opinions. Peeling 
potatoes before cooking saves labor at the time of taking up 
dinner, which is a matter of consequence. They should, af- 
ter peeling, soak an hour in cold water ; then boil them in 
salted water, putting them in when the water boils. Have 
them equal in size, that all may be done alike. Try with a 
fork, and when tender drain off the water, sprinkle on a lit- 
tle fine salt, and set them in the oven, or keep them hot in 
the pot till wanted. 

Some boil with skins on ; in this case, pare off a small ring, 
or cut off a little at each end for the water within to escape, 
as this makes them more mealy. 

Some make a wire basket and put in the potatoes peeled 
and of equal size ; and when done, take them up and set in 
the oven a short time. This is the surest and easiest method. 

Old potatoes should be boiled in salted water, then mash- 
ed with salt, pepper, and cream or butter. 

New potatoes boil in salted water, and rub off the tender 
skins with a coarse towel. 

A good Way for old Potatoes. — Peel and soak in cold water half an hour, 
then slice them into salted water that is boiling ; when soft, pour off the wa- 
ter, add cream, or milk and butter, with salt and pepper, also dredge in a very 
little flour. 

Another way is to chop the cold boiled potatoes, and then mix in milk, 
butter, salt, and pepper. 



VEGETABLES. G 1 

Some cold potatoes are nice cooked on a gridiron, A favorite relish for 
supper is cold potatoes sliced and dressed with a salad dressing of boiled eggs, 
salt, mustard, oil, and vinegar. 

Cold Potato Puffs. — Take cold mashed or chopped potatoes and stir in milk 
and melted butter. Beat two eggs and mix, and then bake till browned. It 
is. very nice, and the children love it as well as their elders. This may be 
baked in patties for a pretty variety. 

To cook Sweet Potatoes. — The best way is to parboil with the skins on, 
and then bake in a stove oven. 

Green Corn. — Husk it ; boil in salted water, and eat from the cob ; or cut 
off the corn and season it with butter or cream and salt and pepper. If green 
corn is to be roasted, open it and take off the silk, and then cook it with husks 
on, buried in hot ashes ; or if before the fire, turn it often. 

Succotash. — Boil white beans by themselves. Cut the corn from the cob 
and let the cobs boil ten minutes, then take them out and put in the cora. 
Have only just water enough to cover the corn when cut. If there is more 
than a tea-cupful when the corn is boiled about half an hour, lessen 'it to that 
quantity, and add as much milk, and let the boiling continue till, on trial, the 
com is soft, and then stir in a table-spoonful of flour wet in cold water. 
Then let it boil three or four minutes, take up the com, and add the beans, 
with butter, pepper, and salt. Have twice as much com as beans. Some 
use string-beans cut up. 

If you have boiled corn left on the cob, cut it off for breakfast, and add 
milk and eggs, salt and pepper, and bake it. Some say this is the best way 
of all to cook sweet corn. 

Salsify, or Oyster Plant. — Scrape, cut into inch pieces, and throw into cold 
water awhile ; put into salted boiling water, just enough to cover them, and 
when tender tum off the water and add milk, butter, salt, and pepper, and 
thicken with a very little flour ; then serve. Or, mash fine, and add a beaten 
egg and a little flour ; make round, flat cakes, and cook on a griddle. 

Egg Plant. — Cut into slices an inch thick and peel. Lay these in salted 
water an hour ; then dip into egg, and rub in bread or cracker-crumbs, and 
cook on a griddle. 

Carrots. — Boil in salted water tiU tender, take off the skin, slice and butter 
them. They are improved by cooking in broth. Some add chopped onion 
and parsley. 

Beets. — Wash, but do not cut them before boiling ; boil till tender, take 
off the skin, shce and season with salt, pepper, vinegar, and melted butter. 
If any are left, slice them into vinegar, for a pickle. 



62 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Parsnips. — Boil in salted water, take off the skins, cut in slices lengthwise, 
and season with salt, pepper, and butter. When cold, chop fine, add salt, 
pepper, egg, and flour, make small cakes, and cook on a griddle. 

Pumpkin and Squash. — Cut in slices, boil in salted water till tender, drain, 
and season with salt, pepper, and butter. • Baked pumpkin, cut in slices, is 
very good. 

Celery. — Cut off the roots and green leaves, wash, and keep in cold water 
till wanted. 

Radishes. — ^Wash, cut off tops, and lay in cold water till wanted. 

Onions. — Many can not eat onions without consequent discomfort ; though 
to most others they are a healthful and desirable vegetable. The disagreea- 
ble efi^ect on the breath, it is said, may be prevented by afterward chewing 
and swallowing three or four roasted coffee-beans. Those who indulge in 
this vegetable should, as a matter of politeness and benevolence, try this pre- 
caution. 

The best way to cook onions is to peel, cut off top and tail, put in cold Ava- 
ter for awhile, and then into boiUng salted water. When nearly done, pour 
off the water, except a little, then add milk, butter, pepper, and salt. When 
onions are old and strong, boil in two or three waters ; have each time boil- 
ing water. 

Tomatoes. — Pour on scalding water, then remove the skins, cut them up, 
and boil about half an hour. Add salt, butter or cream, and sugar. Adding 
green corn cut from the cob is a good variety. Some use pounded or grated 
stale bread-crumbs to thicken. Some slice without peehng, broil on a gridi- 
ron, and then season with pepper, salt, and butter. Some peel, slice, and put 
in layers, with seasoning and bi-ead-crumbs between, and bake in an oven. 
If eaten raw, the skins should be removed by a knife, as scalding lessens fla- 
vor and crispness. Ice improves them much. The acid is so shai-p that 
many are injured by eating too many. 

Cucumbers. — Peel and slice into cold water, and in half an hour drain and 
season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Some slice them quarter of an inch 
thick into boiling water, enough to cover them, and in fifteen minutes drain 
through a colander, and season with butter, salt, pepper, and vinegar. 

Cabbage and Cauliflower. — Take off the outer leaves and look for any in- 
sects to be removed, and let it stand in cold water awhile. It should be cut 
twice transversely through the hardest part, that all may cook alike. It is 
more delicate if boiled awhile in one water, then changed to another boiling 
hot water, in the same or another vessel. If you are cooking corned beef, use 
for the second water some of the meat liquor, and it improves the flavor. 
Drain it through a colander. Some chop the cabbage before serving, and add 



VEGETABLES. 63 

butter, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Others omit the vinegar, and add two beat- 
en eggs and a little milk, then bake it like a pudding. This is the favorite 
mode in some families. Cauliflower is to be treated like cabbage. 

Asparagus. — The best way to cook it is to cut it into inch pieces, leave out 
the hardest parts, boil in salted water, drain with a colander, and add pepper, 
salt, melted butter or cream, when taken up. Some beat up eggs and add to 
this ; stir till hardened a little, and then seiTe. 

Macaroni. — Break into inch pieces and put into salted boiling water, and 
stew till soft — say twenty minutes. Drain it and put it in layers in a pud- 
ding-dish, with grated cheese between each layer. Add a little salted milk 
or cream, and bake about half an hour. Many can not eat this with cheese. 
In this case it is better to pour cold soup or gravy upon it, and bake without 
cheese. 

Various Ways of cooking Eggs. — Put eggs into boiling water from three 
to five minutes, according to taste. A hard-boiled egg is perfectly healthy if 
well masticated. Another way is to put them in a bowl or an egg-boiler, 
and pour on boiling water for two or three minutes, then pour off the water 
and add boiling water, and in five or six minutes the eggs will be cooked 
enough. 

To make a plain omelet, beat the yelks of six eggs, add a cup of milk, 
season with salt and pepper, and then stir in the whites cut to a stiff froth. 
Cook in a frying-pan or griddle, with as little butter or fat as possible. Let 
it cook about ten minutes, and then take up with a spad, or lay a hot dish 
over and turn the omelet on to it. This is improved by mixing in chopped 
ham or fowl. Some put sugar in, but it is more apt to bum. 

A bread omelet is made as above, with bread-crumbs added, and is veiy 
good. 

An apple omelet is .made as above, with mashed apple-sauce added, and 
this also is very good. Jelly may be used instead of apple. 



64 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

FAMILY BEEAD. 

The most important article of food is good family bread, 
and the most healthful kind of bread is that made of coarse 
flour and raised with yeast. All that is written against the 
healthfulness of yeast is owing to sheer ignorance, as the 
most learned physicians and chemists will affirm. 

Certain recent writers on hygiene are ultra and indiscrim- 
inating in regard to the use of unbolted flour. The simple 
facts about it are these: Every kernel of wheat contains 
nutriment for diflTerent parts of the body, and in about the 
right proportions. Thus, the outside part contains that which 
nourishes the bones, teeth, hair, nails, and the muscles. The 
germ, or eye, contains what nourishes the brain and nerves ; 
and the central part (of which fine flour is chiefly made) con- 
sists of that which forms fat, and furnishes fuel to produce 
animal heat, while in gentle combustion it unites with oxy- 
gen in the capillaries. When first ground, the flour con- 
tains all the ingredients as in the kernel. The first bolting 
alters the proportions but very little, forming what is called 
"uniddlings. The second bolting increases the carbonaceous 
proportion, making ^?ie flour. The third bolting makes the 
superfine flour, and removes nearly all except the carbona- 
ceous portion, which is fitted only to form fat and generate 
animal heat. No animal could live on superfine flour alone 
but for a short time, as has been proved by experiments on 
dogs. 

But meats, vegetables, fruit, eggs, milk, and several other 
articles in family diet contain the same elements as wheat, 
though in different proportions ; so that it is only an exclu- 
sive use of fine flour that is positively dangerous. Still there 
is no doubt that a large portion of young children using 
white bread for common food, especially if butter, sugar, 
and molasses are added, have their teeth, bones, and muscles 



FAMILY BREAD. C5 

not properly nourished. And it is a most unwise, uneconom- 
ical, and unhealtbful practice to use flour deprived of its 
most important elements because it is white and is fashion- 
able. It would be much cheaper, as well as more healthful, 
to use the middlings^ instead of fine or superfine flour. It 
would be still better to use unbolted flour, except where 
delicate stomachs can not bear it, and in that case the mid- 
dlings would serve nearly as well for nutrition and give no 
trouble. 

Some suppose that bread wet with milk is better than if 
wet with water, in the making. Many experienced house- 
keepers say that a little butter or lard in warm water makes 
bread that looks and tastes exactly like that wet with milk, 
and that it does not spoil so soon. 

Experienced housekeepers say also that bread, if thorough- 
ly kneadedy may be put in the pans, and then baked as soon as 
light enough, without the second or third kneading, which is 
often practiced. This saves care and trouble, especially in 
training new cooks, who thus have only one chance to make 
mistakes, instead of two or three. 

It is not well to use yeast powders instead of yeast, be- 
cause it is a daily taking of medicinal articles not needed, 
and often injurious. Cream tartar is supertartrate of potash, 
and soda is a supercarbonate of soda. These two, when uni- 
ted in dough, form tartrate of potash, tartrate of soda, and 
carbonate of soda; while some one of the three tends to act 
chemically and injuriously on the digestive fluids. Professor 
Hosford's method is objectionable for the same reason, espe- 
cially when his medical articles are mixed with flour; for 
thus poor flour is sold more readily than in ordinary cases. 
These statements the best-informed medical men and chem- 
ists will verify. 

Flour loses its sweetness by keeping, and this is the reason 
why sugar is put in the recipes for bread. The best kind of 
flour, when new and fresh ground, has eight per cent, of sugar; 
and when such flour is used, the sugar may be omitted. 

Some people make bread by mixing it so that it can be 
stirred with a spoon. But the nicest kind of bread can be 
made only with a good deal of kneading. 



66 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



BECIPES EOK YEAST AND BREAD. 

The best yeast is brewers' or distillery, as this raises bread 
much sooner than home-brewed. The following is the best 
kind of home-made yeast, and will keep good two or three 
weeks : 

Hop and Potato Yeast. — Pare and slice five large potatoes, and boil them 
in one quart of water with a large handful of common hops (or a square inch 
of pressed hops), tied in a muslin rag. When soft, take out the hops and 
press the potatoes through a colander, and add a small cup of white sugar, a 
tea-spoonful of ginger, two tea-spoonfuls of salt, and two tea-cups of common 
yeast, or half as much distillery. Add the yeast when the rest is only blood- 
warm. White sugar keeps better than brown, and the salt and ginger help 
to preserve the yeast. 

Do not boil in iron or use an iron spoon, as it colors the yeast. Keep 
yeast in a stone or earthenwai'e jar, with a plate fitting well to the rim. This 
is better than a jug, as easier to fill and to cleanse. Scald the jar before 
making new yeast. 

The rule for quantity is, one table-spoonful of brewers' or distillery yeast 
to every quart of flour ; or twice as much home-made yeast. 

Potato Yeast is made by the above rule, omitting the hops. It can be 
used in large quantities without gi^dng a bitter taste, and so raises bread 
sooner. But it has to be renewed much oftener than hop yeast, and the 
bread loses the flavor of hop yeast. 

Hard Yeast is made with home-brewed yeast (not brewei-s' or distillery), 
thickened with Indian meal and fine flour in equal parts, and then made into 
cakes an inch thick and three inches by two in size, dried in the wind but 
not in the sun. Keep them tied in a bag in a diy, cool place, where they 
will not freeze. One cake soaked in a pint of warm water (not hot) is 
enough for four quarts of flour. It is a good plan to work in mashed pota- 
toes into this yeast, and let it rise well before using it. This makes the 
nicest bread. Some housekeepers say pour boiling water on one third of the 
flour, and then niix the rest in immediately, and it has the same effect as 
using potatoes. 

When there is no yeast to start with, it can be made with one pint of new 
milk, one tea-spoonful of fine salt, and a table-spoonful of flour. When it is 
worked, use twice as much as common yeast. This is called JNIilk Yeast or 
Salt Risings, and bread made of it is poor, and soon spoils. 

When yeast ceases to look foamy, and becomes watery, with sediment at 
the bottom, it must be renewed. When good, the smell is pungent, but not 
sour. If sour, nothing can restore it. 

Bread of Fine Flour. — Take four quarts of sifted flour, one quart of luke- 



FAMILY BEE AD. 67 

warm water, in which are dissolved two tea-spoonfuls of salt, two tea-spoon- 
fuls of sugar, a table-spoonful of melted butter, and one cup of yeast. Mix 
and knead very thoroughly, and have it as soft as can be molded, using as 
little flour as possible. Make it into small loaves, put it in buttered pans, 
prick it with a fork, and when light enough to crack on the top, bake it. 
Nothing but experience will show when bread is just at the right point of 
lightness. 

If bread rises too long, it becomes sour. This is discovered by making a 
sudden opening and applying the nose, and the souraess will be noticed as 
different from the odor of proper lightness. Practice is needed in this. If 
bread is light too soon for the oven, knead it awhile, and set it in a cool place. 
Sour bread can be remedied somewhat by working in soda dissolved in wa- 
ter — about half a tea-spoonful for each quart of flour. JNIany spoil bread by 
too much flour, others by not kneading enough, and others by allowing it to 
rise too much. 

The goodness of bread depends on the qualit/ of the flour. Some flour will 
not make good bread in any way. New and good flour has a yellowish tinge, 
and when pressed in the hand is adhesive. Poor flour is dry, and will not 
retain form when pressed. Poor flour is bad economy, for it does not make 
as nutritious bread as does good flour. 

Bread made with milk sometimes causes indigestion to invalids and to chil- 
dren with weak digestion. 

Take loaves out of the pans, and set them sidewise, and not flat, on a table. 
Wrapping in a cloth makes the bread clammy. 

Bread is better in small loaves. Let your pans be of tin (or better, of iron), 
eight inches long, three inches high, three inches wide at the bottom, and 
flaring so as to be four inches wide at the top. This size makes more tender 
crust, and cuts more neatly than larger loaves. 

Oil the pans with a swab and sweet butter or lard. They should be well 
washed and dried, or black and I'ancid oil will gather. 

All these kinds of bread can be baked in biscuit-form ; and, by adding wa- 
ter and eggs, made into griddle-cakes. Bread having potatoes in it keeps 
moist longest, but turns sour soonest. 

Bread of Middlings or Unbolted Flour. — Take four quarts of coarse flour, 
one quart of warm water, one cup of yeast, two tea-spoonfuls of salt, one 
spoonful of melted lard or butter, two cups of sugar or molasses, and half a 
tea-spoonful of soda. Mix thoroughly, and bake m pans the same as the 
bread of fine flour. It is better to be kneaded rather than made soft with a 
spoon. 

Bread raised with Water only. — Many persons like bread made either of 
fine or coarse flour, and raised with water only. Success in making this kind 
depends on the proper quantity of water, quick beating, the heating of very 
small pans, and very quick baking. There are cast-iron patties made for this 
pui-pose, and also small, coarse earthen cups. The following is the rule, but 
it must be modified by trjung : 



68 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

Recipe. — To one quart of unbolted flour put about one quart, or a little 
less, of hot water. Beat it very quickly, put it in hot pans, and bake in a hot 
oven. White flour may be used in place of coarse, and the quantity ascer- 
tained by trial. When right, there is after baking Uttle except a crust, which 
is sweet and crisp. 

Eye and Indian Bread. — The Boston or Eastern Brown Bread is made 
thus : One quart of rye, one quart of corn-meal, one cup of molasses, half a 
cup of distillery yeast, or twice as much home-brewed ; one tea-spoonful of 
soda, and one tea-spoonful of salt. Wet with hot water till it is stiff" as can 
be stirred with a spoon. This is put in a large brown pan and baked four or 
five hours. It is good toasted, and improved by adding boiled squash. 

Third Bread. — This is made with equal parts of rye, corn-meal, and un- 
bolted flour. To one quart of warm water add one tea-spoonful of salt, half 
a cup of distillery or twice as much home-brewed yeast, and half a cup of mo- 
lasses, and thicken with equal parts of these three kinds of flour. It is very 
good for a variety. 

Eye Bread. — Take a quart of warm water, a tea-spoonful of salt, half a cup 
of molasses, and a cup of home-brewed yeast, or half as much of distillery. 
Add flour till you can knead it, and do it very thoroughly. 

Oat-Meal Bread. — Oat-meal is sometimes bitter from want of care in pre- 
paring.^ When good, it makes excellent and healthful bread. 

Take one pint of boiling water, one great-spoonful of sweet lard or butter, 
two great-spoonfuls of sugar; melt them together, and thicken with two- 
thirds oat-meal and one-third fine flour. AVhen blood-warm, add half a cup 
of home-brewed yeast and two well-beaten eggs. Mold into small cakes, and 
bake on buttered tins, or make two loaves. 

Pumpkin Bread and Apple Bread. — These are very good for a variety. 
Stew and strain pumpkins or apples, and then work in either corn-meal or 
unbolted flour, or both. To each quart of the fruit add two table-spoonfuls 
of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a cup of home-brewed yeast. If the apples are 
quite sour, add more sugar. Make it as stiff" as can be stirred with a spoon, 
and bake in patties or small loaves. Children like it for a change. 

Corn-Meal Bread. — Always scald corn-meal. Melt two table-spoonfuls of 
butter or sweet lard in one quart of hot water ; add a tea-spoonful of salt and 
a tea-cup of sugar. Thicken with corn-meal, and one-third as much fine 
flour, or unbolted flour, or middlings. Two well-beaten eggs improve it. 
Make it as stiff" as can be easily stirred Avith a spoon, or, as some would ad- 
vise, knead it like bread of white flour. 

If raised with yeast, put in a tea-cup of home-brewed yeast, or half as 
much of distilleiy. If raised with powdei's, mix two tea-spoonfuls of cream 
tartar thoroughly with the meal, and one tea-spoonful of soda in tlie water. 



FAMILY BREAD. 69 

Sweet Rolls of Corn-Meal. — Mix half corn-meal and half fine or unbolted 
flour ; add a little salt, and then wet it up with sweetened water, raise it with 
yeast, and bake in small patties or cups in a very quick oven. 

Soda Biscuit. — In one quart of flour mix very thoroughly two tea-spoonfuls 
of cream tartar, and a tea-spoonful of salt. Dissolve in a pint of warm water 
one tea-spoonful of soda and one table-spoonful of melted butter or lard. 
Mix quickly ; add flour till you can roll, but let it be as soft as possible. 
Bake in a quick oven, and as soon as possible after mixing. 

Yeast Biscuit. — Take a pint of raised dough of fine flour : pick it in small 
pieces ; add one well-beaten egg, two great-spoonfuls of butter or lard, and 
two great-spoonfuls of sugar. Work thoroughly for ten minutes ; add flour 
to roll, and then cut in round cakes and bake on tins, or mold into biscuits. 
Let them stand tiinight,and then bake in a quick oven. 

If you have no dough raised, make biscuit as you would bread, except add- 
ing more shortening. 

Potato Biscuit. — Boil and press through a colander twelve mealy potatoes ; 
any others are not good. While warm, add one cup of butter, one tea-spoon- 
ful of salt, four great- spoonfuls of sugar, and half a cup of yeast. Mix in 
white or coarse flour till it can be well kneaded. Mold into small cakes ; 
let them stand till light, and bake in a quick oven. These are the best kind, 
especially if made of coarse floor. 

Bans. — These are best made by the rule for potato biscuit, adding twice 
as much sugar. When done, rub over a mixture of half milk and half mo- 
lasses, and it improves looks and taste. 



'70 THE HOUSEKEEPEE AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

BREAKFAST AND SUPPER. 

What shall we have for breakfast to-morrow ? is the con- 
stant question of trial to a housekeeper, and it is the aim of 
the present chapter to meet this want by presenting a good 
and successive variety of articles healthful, economical, and 
easily prepared. 

Some of the best housekeepers have taken this method: 
they provide a good sujDply of the following articles, to be 
used in succession — rice, corn-meal, rye flour, wheat grits, 
unbolted w^heat, cracked wheat, pearl wheat, oat grits, oat- 
meal, and hominy, with which they make a new article for 
every day in the week. Some one of these is selected for 
either a dinner vegetable or-dessert, or for a dish at tea, and 
the remainder used for the next morning's breakfast. 

The following will indicate the methods : 

Corn-Meal. — Take four large cups of corn-meal, and scald it. In all cases, 
scald corn-meal before using it. Add half a cup of fine flour, three table- 
spoonfuls of sugar or molasses, one tea-spoonful of soda, and one of salt. 
Make a batter, and boil an hour or more, stirring often ; or, better, 'cook in 
a tin pail set in boiling water. Use it as mush, with butter, sugar, and milk 
for supper. Next morning, thin it with hot water : add two or three eggs, 
and bake either as muffins or griddle-cakes. 

Hominy. — Soak and then boil a quart of hominy with two heaping tea- 
spoonfuls of salt. Use it for dinner as a vegetable, or for supper with sugar 
and milk or cream. Next morning use the remainder, soaked in water or 
milk, with two eggs and a salt-spoonful of salt. Bake as muffins or griddle- 
cakes, or cut in slices, dipped in flour and fried. Farina may be used in the 
same way. 

Rice. — Pick over one pint of rice ; add two tea-spoonfuls of salt and three 
quarts of boiling water. Then boil fifteen minutes ; then uncover ; let it 
steam fifteen minutes. This to be used for a vegetable at dinner, or for a 
tea-dish, with butter and sugar. At night, soak the remainder in as much 
milk or water, and next morning add as much fine or unbolted flour as there 



I 



BREAKFAST AND SUPPEK. 71 

was rice, three eggs, a tea-spoonful of salt, and half a tea-spoonful of soda. 
Thin with water or milk, and bake as muffins or giiddle-cakes. 

The most economical Breakfast Dish, (healthful also). — Keep a jar for rem- 
nants of bread, both coarse and fine, for potatoes, remnants of hominy, rice, 
grits, cracked wheat, oat-meal, and all other articles used on table. Add all 
remnants of milk, whether sour or sweet, and water enough to soak all, so 
as to be soft, but not thin. When enough is collected, add e'nough water to 
make a batter for griddle-cakes, and put in enough soda to sweeten it. Add 
two spoonfuls of sugar, and half a tea-spoonful of salt, and two eggs for each 
quart, and you make an excellent dish of material, most of it usually wasted. 
Thicken it a httle with fine flour, and it makes fine wafiles. 

Biscuits of sour Milk and white or unbolted Flour. — One pint unbolted 
flour. 

One spoonful of sugar. 

One tea-spoonful of salt. 

Melt a spoonful of butter in a little of the sour milk ; then mix all, and 
just before setting in the oven, add verj'- quicMy and veiy thoroughly a tea- 
spoonful of soda dissolved in half a tea-cup of water. This should be done 
last and quickly, so that the carbonic acid gas produced by the union of the 
soda and the acid of the milk (lactic) may not escape. Use half a tea-cup of 
fine flour when molding into biscuits. 

Pearl Wheat or Cracked Wheat. — Boil one pint in a pail set in boiling wa- 
ter till quite soft, but so as not to lose its form. Add a tea-spoonful of su- 
gar, and as much salt ; also water, when needed. It must boil a long time. 
Eat a part for supper, wath sugar and cream, and next morning add two eggs, 
a great-spoonful of sugar, and fine flour enough to make it suitable for muflin- 
rings or drop-cakes. 

Eye and Corn-Meal. — Put into a pint and a half of boiling water one tea- 
spoonful of salt, tAvo great-spoonfuls of sugar, two well-beaten eggs, three great- 
spoonfuls of corn-meal or unbolted wheat. Thicken with rye flour, and then 
add two well-beaten eggs. Bake in muflSn-rings or as drop-cakes. 

Oat-Meal. — Take one pint of boiling water, and pour it on to one pint of 
oat-meal. Add a great-spoonful of butter, half a tea-spoonful of salt, and two 
great-spoonfuls of sugar. Stir fast and thoroughly ; then add two well-beaten 
eggs, and boil twenty minutes. To be eaten as mush for supper ; and next 
morning thin it, and bake in muflSn-rings. 

Several of the above articles are good with only salt and 
water; and many persons w^ould like them better with the 
butter, sugar, and eggs omitted. 



12 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

Wheat MujBins. — One pint of milk, and two eggs. 

One table-spoonful of yeast, and a salt-spoonful of salt. One table-spoon- 
ful of butter. 

Mix these ingredients with sufficient flour to make a thick batter. Let it 
rise four or five hours, and bake in muffin-rings. This can be made of un- 
bolted flour or grits, adding two great-spoonfuls of molasses, and it is very 
fine. Make it so thick that a table-spoon will stand erect in it. 

Sally Lunn, improved. — Seven tea-cups of unbolted flour, or fine flour. 

One pint of water. 

Half a cup of melted butter, and half a cup of sugar. 

One pinch of salt. 

Three well-beaten eggs. 

Two table-spoonfuls of brewers' yeast, or twice as much of home-brewed. 

Pour into square buttered pans, and let it rise two or three hours with 
brewers' yeast ; with home-brewed, five hours are required. It is still better 
baked in patties. 

Cream Griddle-Cakes. — One pint of thick cream. 

One tea-spoonful of salt. 

One table-spoonful of sugar. 

Three weli-beaten eggs. 

Make a thin batter of unbolted or of fine flour, and bake on a griddle. 

Royal Crumpets. — Three tea-cups of raised dough. 

Two table-spoonfuls of melted butter. 

Half a tea-cup of white sugar, mixed with three well-beaten eggs. 

Bake in two buttered pans for half an hour. 

Muffins of fine Flour or unbolted Flour. — One pint of milk or water. 
One pinch of salt. 
Two well-beaten eggs. 
One table-spoonful of yeast. 

Make a thick batter of fine flour or unbolted flour, and let it rise four or 
five hours. Bake in muffin-rings. 

Unbolted Flour Waffles. — One pint of unbolted flour. 

One pint of sour milk, or buttermilk, or Avater. 

Half a tea-spoonful of soda, or more if needed, to sweeten the milk. 

Three well-beaten eggs. 

Two table-spoonfuls of sugar. 

Drop-Cakes of fine Wheat or of Rye. — One pint of milk or water. 
One pinch of salt. 
Two table-spoonfuls of sugar. 
Three well-beaten eggs. 

Stir in r}'e, or fine or unbolted flour to a thick batter, and bake in cups or 
patties hall an hour. 



BREAKFAST AND SUPPER. 73 

Sachem's Head Corn-Cake. — One quart of sifted coni-meal, scalded. 

One tea-spoonful of salt. 

Three pints of scalded sweet milk or water. 

Half a tea-spoonful of soda in two great- spoonfuls of warm water. 

Half a tea-cup of sugar. 

Eight eggs, the whites beaten separately, and added the last thing. 

Make the cakes an inch thick in buttered pans before baking, and, if baked 
right, they will puff up to double the thickness, like sponge-cake, and are very 
fine. 

Rice Waffles. — One pint of milk. Haifa tea-cup of solid boiled rice, soaked 
three hours in the milk. 

Two cups of wheat flour or rice flour. 

Three well- beaten eggs. Bake in waffle-irons. 

The rice must be salted enough when boiled. 

Another Rice Dish. — One pint of rice, well cleaned. 

Three quarts of cold water. 

Three tea-spoonfuls of salt. 

Boil it twenty minutes ; then pour off the water, add milk or cream, and 
let it boil ten minutes longer, till quite soft. Let it stand till cold, and then 
cut it in slices and fry it on a griddle. It can also be made into griddle-cakes 
or muffins by the preceding recipe. 

A good and easy Way to nse cold Rice. — Heat a pint of boiled rice in milk ; 
add two well-beaten eggs, a little salt, butter, and sugar ; let it boil up once, 
and then grate on nutmeg. 

Buckwheat-Cakes. — One quart of buckwheat. 

One tea-spoonful of salt. 

Two table-spoonfuls of distillery yeast, or four of home-brewed. » 

Two table-spoonfuls of molasses. 

"Wet the flour with warm water, and then add the other articles. Keep this 
w'arm through the night. If it sours, add half a tea-spoonful of soda in warm 
water. These cakes have a handsomer brown if wet with milk or part milk. 

Fine Cottage Cheese. — Let the milk be turned by rennet, or by setting it in 
a warm place. It must not be heated, as the oily parts will then pass off, and 
the richness is lost. When fully turned, put in a coarse linen bag, and hang 
it to drain several hours, till all the whey is out. Then mash it fine, salt it 
to the taste, and thin it with good cream, or add but little cream, and roll it 
into balls. "When thin, it is very fine with preserves or sugared fi-uit. 

It also makes a fine pudding, by thinning it with milk, and adding eggs and 
sugar, and spice to the taste, and baking it. Many persons use milk when 
turned to bonny-clabber for a dessert, putting on sugar and spice. Children 
are fond of it. 

4 



74 THE HOUSEKEEPER AifD HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER XV. 

PUDDINGS AND PIES. 

Where sugar is made by slaves, the little children feed 
constantly on it, and grow fat and healthy. But they are 
nearly naked, live out-of-doors, exercise constantly, and have 
nothing to do but play. Thus their lungs and skin gain the 
healthful and purifying action of the air and the sun, and the 
excess of carbonaceous food is rendered harmless. But for 
those whose skin never meets the sun, rarely meets the air, 
and only now and then some water, a very different regimen 
is needful. Sugar, molasses, butter, and fats are chiefly car- 
bonaceous, and therefore demand a large supply of oxygen 
through lungs and skin. And yet our custom is to use fine 
flour, which is chiefly carbon ; butter and cream, chiefly car- 
bon; sweet cakes, chiefly carbon; sweetmeats and candy, 
chiefly carbon ; and worst of all, pie-crusts, chiefly carbon, 
and the most difficult of all food for digestion. 

But the love for sweet food is common to all, and de- 
mands gratification. All that is required is moderation and 
temperance. For these reasons, a large supply is here pro- 
vided of cakes and puddings, which are not rich, and yet are 
as highly relished as richer food. As pies are the most un- 
heal thful of all food, some instruction and but few recipes 
are given, lest, if entirely omitted, the book would not be 
read so widely, and other more unhealthful ones be used. 

The puddings here offered afford a great variety for des- 
serts, are made with far less labor than pies, and are both 
more economical and more healthful. They also can be made 
more ornamental and attractive in appearance, and equally 
good to the taste. It is hoped, therefore, that the conscien- 
tious housekeeper will not tempt her family to eat unhealth- 
ful food when such an abundance is offered that is at once 
economical of labor, time, expense, and health. The first rec- 
ipe for pudding can be varied in many ways, and has the 



PUDDINGS AND PIES. 15 

advantage which heretofore has recommended pies, namely, 
that several can be made at once, and kept on hand as equal- 
ly good either cold or warmed over. It is also economical 
and convenient, as not requiring eggs or milk. 

The Queen of all Puddings. — Soak a tea-cup of tapioca and a tea-spoonful 
of salt in three tumblerfuls of warm, not hot, water for an hour or two, till 
softened. - Take away the skins and cores of apples without dividing them, 
put them in the dish with sugar in the holes, and spice if the apples are with- 
out flavor : not otherwise. Add a cup of water, and bake till the apples are 
softened, turning them to prevent drying, and then pour over the tapioca, 
and bake a Jong time, till all looks a brownish yellow. Eat with a hard 
sauce. Do not fail to bake a long time. 

This can be extensively varied by mixing chopped apples, or quinces, or 
oranges, or peaches, or any kind of berries with the tapioca ; and then sugar 
must be added according to the acid of the fruit, though some would prefer 
it omitted when the sauce is used. 

The beauty may be increased by a cover of sugar beaten into the whites of 
eggs, and then turned to a yellow in the oven. Several such puddings can be 
made at once, kept in a cool place, and when wanted warmed over ; many 
relish it better when very cold. Sago can be used instead of tapioca. When 
no sago or tapioca are at hand, the following recipe for flour pudding may 
be used, baking a long time ; 

Flour Puddings. — Take four table-spoonfuls of flour, half a tea-spoonful 
of salt, a pint of water or milk, three eggs, and a salt-spoonful of soda. Mix 
and beat very thoroughly, and bake as soon as done, or it will not be light. 
It must bake till the middle is not lower than the rest. Eat with liquid 
sauce. This can be cooked in a covered tin pan set in boiling water. This 
is enough for a family of five. Change the quantity according to the family. 

This may be made richer by a spoonful of butter, more sugar, and some 
flavoring. 

It will be lighter not to beat the eggs separately. If a bag is used to boil, 
rub flour or butter on the inside, to prevent sticking. 

Flour and Fruit Puddings. — Add to the above, chopped apples or any kind 
of berries. Chopped apples and quinces together are fine when dried. When 
berries are used, a third more flour is needed for those very juicy, and less 
for cherries. Put in fruit the last thing. 

Eusk and Milk. — Keep all bits of bread, dry in the oven, and pound them, 
putting half a salt-spoonful of salt to a pint. This eaten with good milk is 
what is especially relished by children, and named "rusk and milk." 

Rusk Puddings. — Mix equal quantities of rusk-crumbs with stewed fruit 
or hemes, then add a very sweet custard, made with four or five eggs to a 



76 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

quart of milk. Eaten with sweet sauce. This may be made without fruit, 
and is good with sauce. 

Meat and Rusk Puddings. — Chop any kind of cold meat with salt pork or 
ham, season it well with butter, pepper, and salt, and add two or three beaten 
eggs. Then make alteraate layers of wet rusk-crumbs, with milk or cold 
boiled hominy or rice, and bake half or three quarters of an hour. Let the 
upper layer be crumbs, and cover with a plate while baking, and, when near- 
ly done, take it off to brown the top. 

A handsome and good Pudding easily made. — Put a pint of scalded milk 
(water will do as well) to a pint of bread-crumbs, and add the yelks of four 
eggs, well beaten, a tea-cup of sugar, butter the size of an egg, and the grated 
rind of one lemon. Bake, and, when cool, cover with stewed fruit of any 
kind. Then beat the whites of the eggs into five table-spoonfuls of powdered 
sugar and the juice of one lemon. Cover the pudding with it, and set in the 
oven till it is a brownish yellow. Puddings covered with sugar and eggs in 
this-way are called Meringue Puddings. 

Pan Dowdy. — Put apples pared and sliced into a large pan, and put in an 
abundance of molasses or sugar, and some spice if the apples have little fla- 
vor ; not otherwise. Cover with bread-dough, rolled thin, or a potato pie- 
crust. Bake a long time, and then break the crust into the fruit in small 
pieces. Children are very fond of this, especially if well sweetened and baked 
a long time. 

Corn-Meal Pop-overs. — Two tumblers of scalded corn-meal fresh ground, 
three well-beaten eggs, a cup of milk or water, a tea-spoonful of salt, and 
three of sugar, two spoonfuls of melted butter. Bake in hot patties, and eat 
with sweet sauce. 

Best Apple-Pie. — Take a deep dish, the size of a soup-plate, fill it heaping 
with peeled tart apples, cored and quartered ; pour over it one tea-cup of 
molasses, and three great-spoonfuls of sugar, dredge over this a considerable 
quantity of flour, enough to thicken the sirup a good deal. Cover it with a 
crust made of cream, if you have it ; if not, common dough, with butter work- 
ed in, or plain pie-crust, lapping the edge over the dish, and pinching it down 
tight, to keep the sirup from running out. Bake about an hour and a half. 
Make several at once, as they keep well. 

Rice Pudding. — One tea-cup of rice. 
One tea-cup of sugar. 
One half tea-cup of butter. 
One quart of milk. 

Nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt to the taste. 

Put the butter in melted, mix all in a pudding-dish, and bake it two hours, 
stirring it frequently, until the rice is swollen. It is good made without butter. 



PUDDINGS AND PIES. 77 

Bread and Fruit Pudding. — Butter a deep dish, and lay in slices of bread 
and butter, wet with milk, and upon these sliced tart apples, sweetened and 
spiced. Then lay on another layer of bread and butter and apples, and con- 
tinue thus till the dish is filled. Let the top layer be bread and butter, and 
dip it in milk, turning the buttered side down. Any other kind of fruit will 
answer as well. Put a plate on the top, and bake two hours, then take it off 
and bake another hour. 

Boiled Fruit Pudding. — Take light dough and work in a little butter, roll 
it out into a very thin large layer, not a quarter of an inch thick. Cover it 
thick with berries or stewed fruit, and put on sugar, roll it up tight, double it 
once or twice, and fasten up the ends. Tie it up in a bag, giving it room to 
swell. Eat it with butter, or sauce not very sweet. 

Blackben-ies, whortleberries, raspbemes, apples, and peaches, all make ex- 
cellent puddings in the same way. 

English Curd Pudding. — One quart of milk. 
A bit of rennet to curdle it. 

Press out the whey, and put into the curds three eggs, a nutmeg, and a ta- 
ble-spoonful of brandy. Bake it like custard. 

Common Apple-Pie. — Pare your apples, and cut them from the core. Line 
your dishes with paste, and put in the apple ; cover and bake until the fruit is 
tender. Then take them from the oven, remove the upper crust, and put in 
sugar and nutmeg, cinnamon or rose-water, to your taste. A bit of sweet 
butter improves them. Also, to put in a little orange-peel before they are 
baked, makes a pleasant variety. Common apple-pies are very good, to stew, 
sw^eeten, and flavor the apple before they are put into the oven. Many prefer 
the seasoning baked in. All apple-pies are much nicer if the apple is grated 
and then seasoned. 

Plain Custard. — Boil half a dozen peach-leaves, or the rind of a lemon, or 
a vanilla bean in a quart of milk ; when it is flavored, pour into it a paste 
made Iby a table-spoonful of rice flour, or common flour, wet up with two 
spoonfuls of cold milk and a half tea-spoonful of salt, and stir it till it boils 
again. Then beat up four eggs and put in, and sweeten it to your taste, and 
pour it out for pies or pudding. More eggs make it a rich custard. 

Bake as pudding, or boil in a tin pail set in boiling water, stirring often, 
and pour into cups. 

Another Custard. — Boil six peach-leaves, or a lemon-peel, in a quart of 
milk, till it is flavored ; cool it, add three spoonfuls of sugar, a tea-spoonful 
of salt, and five eggs beaten to a froth. Put the custard into a tin pail, set 
it in hoiling water, and stir it till cooked enough. Then turn it into cups ; if 
preferred, it can be baked. 

Mush, or Hasty Pudding. — Wet up the Indian-meal in cold water, till 



Y8 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEAXTHKEEPEE. 

there are no lumps, stir it gradually into boiling water which has a little su- 
gar and more salt added ; boil till so thick that the stick will stand in it. 
Boil slowly, and so as not to burn, stining often. Two or three hours' boiling 
is needed. Pour it into a broad, deep dish, let it grow cold, cut it into slices 
half an inch thick, flour them, and fiy them on a griddle with a little lard, or 
bake them in a stove oven. 

Stale Bread Pudding, (fine.)— Cut stale bread in thick slices, and put it to 
soak for several hours in cold milk. 

Then cook on a griddle, with some salt, and eat it with sugar, or molasses, 
or a sweet sauce. To make it more delicate, take off the crusts. It is still 
better to soak it in uncooked custard. Baker's bread is best. 

To prepare Rennet Wine. — Put three inches square of calf's rennet to a pint 
of wine, and set it away for use. Three table-spoonfuls will serve to curdle a 
quart of milk. 

Bennet Custard. — Put three table-spoonfuls of rennet wine to a quart of 
milk, and add four or five great-spoonfuls of white sugar and a salt-spoonful 
of salt. Flavor it with wine, or lemon, or rose-water. It must be eaten in 
an horn", or it will turn to curds. 

Bird'snest Pudding. — Pare tart, well-flavored apples, scoop out the cores 
without dividing the apple, put them in a deep dish with a small bit of mace, 
and a spoonful of sugar in the opening of each apple. Pour in water enough 
to cook them. When soft, pour over them an unbaked custard, so as just to 
cover them, and bake till the custard is done. 

A Minute Pudding of Potato Starch. — Take four heaped table-spoonfuls of 
potato flour, three eggs, and a tea-spoonful of salt, and one quart of milk. 
Boil the milk, reserving a little to moisten the flour. Stir the flour to a paste, 
perfectly smooth, with the reserved milk, and put it into the boiling milk. 
Add the eggs well beaten, let it boil till very thick, which will be in two or 
three minutes, then pour into a dish and serve with liquid sauce. After the 
milk boils, the pudding must be stirred every moment till done. 

Tapioca Pudding. — Soak eight table-spoonfuls of tapioca in a quart of 
warm milk and tea-spoonful of sugar, till soft, then add two table-spoonfuls ' 
of melted sweet lard or butter, five eggs well beaten, spice, sugar, and wine 
to your taste. Bake in a buttered dish, without any lining. Sago may be 
used in place of tapioca. 

Cocoa-Nut Pudding (plain). — Take one quart of milk, five eggs, and one 
cocoa-nut, grated. The eggs and sugar are beaten together, and stirred into 
the milk when hot. Strain the milk and eggs, and add the cocoa-nut, with 
nutmeg to the taste. Bake about twenty minutes like puddings. * 



PUDDINGS AND PIES. 79 

New-England Squash or Pumpkin-Pie. — Take a pumpkin or winter-squash, 
cut in pieces, take off the rind and remove the seeds, and boil it until ten- 
der, theft rub it through a sieve. When cold, add to it milk to thin it, and 
to each quart of milk five well-beaten eggs. Sugar, cinnamon, and ginger to 
your taste. The quantity of milk must depend upon the size and quality of 
the squash. 

These pies require a moderate heat, and must be baked until the centre is 
firm. 

Ripe Fruit Pies — Peach, Cherry, Plum, Currant, and Strawberry. — Line 
your dish with paste. After picking over and washing the fruit carefully 
(peaches must be pared, and the rest picked from the stem), place a layer of 
fruit and a layer of sugar in your dish, until it is well filled, then cover it with 
paste, and trim the edge neatly, and prick the cover. Fniit-pies require about 
an hour to bake in a thoroughly-heated oven. 

Mock Cream. — Beat three eggs well, and add three heaping tea-spoonfuls 
of sifted flour. Stir it into a pint and a half of boiling milk, add a salt-spoon 
of salt, and sugar to your taste. Flavor with rose-water or essence of lemon. 

This can be used for cream-cakes or pastry. 

A Pudding of Fruit and Bread Crumbs. — Mix a pint of dried and pounded 
bread-crumbs with an equal quantity of any kind of berries, or of dried and 
chopped sour apples.- Add three eggs, half a pint of milk, three spoonfuls of 
fine flour, and half a tea-spoonful of salt. Bake on a griddle or in an oven in 
muflin-rings, or, when made thinner, as griddle- cakes. If dried fruit is used, 
more milk is needed than for fresh berries. 

This may also be boiled for a pudding. Flour the pudding-cloth and tie 
tight, as it will not swell in cooking. 

Bread and Apple Dumplings. — Mix half a pint of dried bread-crumbs and 
half a pint of fine flour. "Wet it with water and two eggs thick enough to 
roll. Then put it around large apples peeled and cored whole, and boil for 
dumplings in several small floured cloths, or put all into one large floured 
cloth, tied tight, as they will not swell. Try with a fork, and when the ap- 
ples are soft, take up and serve with a sweet sauce. 

An excellent Indian Pudding without Eggs. — Take seven heaping spoon- 
fuls of scalded Indian meal, half a tea-spoonful of salt, two spoonfuls of butter 
or sweet lard, a tea-cup of molasses, and two tea-spoonfuls of ginger or cinna- 
mon, to the taste. Pour into these a quart of milk while boiling hot. Mix 
well and put in a buttered dish. Just as you set in the oven, stir in a tea-cup 
of cold water, which will produce the same effect as eggs. Bake three-quar- 
ters of an hour in a dish that will not spread it out thin. 

Boiled Indian and Suet Pudding. — Three pints of milk, ten heaping table- 
spoonfuls of sifted Indian meal, a tumblerful of molasses, two eggs. Scald 



80 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

the meal with the milk, add the molasses and a tea-spoonful of salt. Put in 
the eggs when it is cool enough not to scald them. Put in a table-spoonful 
of ginger. Tie the bag so that it will be about two-thirds full of ther pudding 
in order to give room to swell. The longer it is boiled the better. Some 
like a little chopped suet with the above. 

A Dessert of Rice and Fruit. — Pick over and wash the rice, and boil it fif- 
teen minutes in water, with salt at the rate of a heaping tea-spoonful to a 
quart. Rice is much improved by having the salt put in while cooking. 
Pour out the water in fifteen minutes after it begins to boil. Then pour in 
rich milk and boil till of a pudding thickness. Then pour it into cups to 
harden, when it is to be turned out inverted upon a platter in small mounds. 
Make an opening on the top of each, and put in a pile of jelly or fruit. Lastly, 
pour over all a custard made of three eggs, a pint of milk, and a tea-spoonful of 
salt boiled in a tin pail set in boiling water. This looks very prettily. Sweet 
cream with a little salt can be used instead of custard. This can be modified 
by having the whole put in a bowl and hardened, and then inverted and sev- 
eral openings made for the fruit. 

Another Dessert of Rice and Fruit. — Boil the rice in salt and water, a tea- 
spoonful to a quart of water. "When cooked to a pudding consistency, cool it, 
and then cut it in slices. Then put a thin layer of rice at the bottom of a 
pudding-dish, cover it with a thin layer of jelly or stewed fruit half an inch 
thick. Continue to add alternate layers of rice and jelly or fruit, smooth it at 
top, grate on sugar, and then cut the edges to show stripes of fruit and rice. 
Help it in saucers, and have cream or a thin custard to pour on it. Make the 
custard with two eggs, half a pint of milk, and half a tea-spoonful of salt. 
Boil it in a pail set in boiling water. 

Dessert *of cold Rice and stewed or grated Apple. — Cut cold boiled rice in 
slices, and then lay in a buttered pudding-dish alternate layers of rice and 
grated or stewed apples. Add sugar and spice to each layer of apples. Cover 
with the rice, smooth with a spoon dipped in cold water or milk, and bake 
three-quarters of an hour if the apples are raw. To be served with a sweet 
sauce. 

A rich Flour Pudding. — Six eggs. 

Three spoonfuls of flour. 

One pint of milk. 

A tea-spoonful of salt. 

Beat the yelks well and mix them smoothly with the flour, then add the 
milk. Lastly, whip the whites to a stiiF froth ; work them in, and bake im- 
mediately. 

To be eaten with a liquid sauce. 

Apple-Pie. — Take fair apples ; pare, core, and quarter them. 
Take four table-spoonfuls of powdered sugar to a pie. 



PUDDINGS AND PIES. 81 

Put into a presen'ing-pan, with the sugar ; water enough to make a thin 
sirup ; throw in a few blades of mace ; boil the apple in the sirup until ten- 
der, a little at a time, so as not to break the pieces. Take them out with 
care, and lay them in soup-dishes. 

When you have preserved apple enough for your number of pies, add to 
the remainder of the sirup cinnamon and rose-water, or any other spice, 
enough to flavor it well, and divide it among the pies. Make a good paste, 
and line the rim of the dishes, and then cover them, leaving the pies without 
an under crust. Bake them a light brown. 

Spiced Apple Tarts. — Rub stewed or baked apples through a sieve ; sweet- 
en them, and add powdered mace and cinnamon enough to flavor them. If 
the apples are not veiy tart, squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Some persons 
like the peel of the lemon grated into it. Line soup-dishes with a light crust, 
double on the rim, and fill them and bake them until the crust is done. Lit- 
tle bars of crust, a quarter of an inch in width, crossed on the top of the tart 
before it is baked, are ornamental. 

Baked Indian Padding. — Three pints of milk. 

Ten heaping table-spoonfuls of Indian meal. 

Three gills of molasses. 

A piece of butter as large as a hen's egg. 

Scald the meal with the milk, and stir in the butter and molasses, and bake 
four or five hours. Some add a little chopped suet in place of the butter. 
This can be boiled. 

Apple Custard. — Take half a dozen very tart apples, and take off the skin 
and cores. Cook them till they begin to be soft, in half a tea-cup of water. 
Then put them in a pudding-dish, and sugar them. Then beat six eggs with 
four spoonfuls of sugar ; mix it with three pints of milk, and two tea-spoon- 
fuls of salt ; pour it over the apples, and bake for about half an hour. 

Plain Macaroni or Vermicelli Puddings. — Put two olmces of macaroni or 
vermicelli into a pint of milk, and simmer until tender. Flavor it by putting 
in two or three sticks of cinnamon Avhile boiling, or some other spice when 
done. Then beat up three eggs, mix in an ounce of sugar, half a pint of 
milk, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a glass of wine. Add these to the broken 
macaroni or vermicelli, and bake in a slow oven. 

Green Corn Pudding. — Twelve ears of corn, grated. Sweet-corn is best. 
One pint and a half of milk. Four well-beaten eggs. One tea-cup and a 
half of sugar. 

Mix the above, and bake it three hours in a buttered dish. More sugar is 
needed if common com is used. 

Bread Pudding for Invalids or young Children. — Grate half a pound of 
stale bread ; add a pinch of salt, and pour on a pint of hot milk, and let it 

4* 



82 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

soak half an hour. Add two well-beaten eggs, put it in a covered basin just 
large enough to hold it, tie it in a pudding-cloth, and boil it half an hour ; or 
put it in a buttered pan in an oven, and bake it that time. Make a sauce of 
thin sweet cream, sweetened with sugar, and flavored with rose-water or nut- 
meg. 

A good Pudding. — Line a buttered dish with slices of wheat bread, first 
dipped in milk. Fill the dish with sliced apple, and add sugar and spice. 
Cover with slices of bread soaked in milk ; cover close with a plate, and bake 
three hours. 

Loaf Pudding. — ^When bread is too stale, put a loaf in a pudding-bag and 
boil it in salted water an hour and a half, and eat it with hard pudding-sauce. 

A Lemon Pudding. — Nine spoonfuls of grated apple, one grated lemon, 
(peel and pulp,) one spoonful of butter, and three eggs. Mix and bake, with 
or without a crust, about an hour. Cream improves it. 

Green Corn Patties, (like oysters.) — Twelve ears of sweet-coni grated. 
(Yellow corn will do, but not so well.) 

One tea-spoonful of salt, and one of pepper. 
One egg beaten into two table-spoonfuls of flour. 
Mix, make into small cakes, and cook on a griddle. 

Cracker Plum Pudding, (excellent.) — Make a veiy sweet custard, and put 
into it a tea-spoonful of salt. 

Take soda crackers, split them, and butter them very thick. 

Put a layer of raisins on the bottom of a large pudding-dish, and then a 
layer of crackers, and pour on a little of the custard when warm, and after 
soaking a little, put on a thick layer of raisins, pressing them into the crack- 
ers with a knife. Then put on another layer of crackers, custard and fruit, 
and proceed thus till you have four layers. Then pour over the whole enough 
custard to rise even with the crackers. It is best made over night, so that 
the crackers may soak. Bake from an hour and a half to two hours. Dur- 
ing the first half-hour, pour on, at three difierent times, a little of the cus- 
tard, thinned with milk, to prevent the top from being hard and dry. If it 
browns fast, cover with paper. 

Bread and butter pudding is made in a similar manner. 

SAUCES FOR PUDDINGS. 

Liquid Sauce. — Six table-spoonfuls of sugar. Ten table-spoonfuls of wa- 
ter. Four table-spoonfuls of butter. Two table-spoonfuls of wine. Nut- 
meg, or lemon, or orange-peel, or rose-water, to flavor. 

Heat the water and sugar very hot. Stir in the butter till it is melted, but 
be careful not to let it boil. Add the wine and nutmeg, just before it is 
used. 



PUDDINGS AND PIES. 83 

Hard Sauce. — Two table-spoonfuls of butter. * 

Ten table-spoonfuls of sugar. 

Work this till white, then add wine or grated lemon-peel, and spice to 
your taste. 

Another Hard Sauce. — Mix half as much butter as sugar, and heat it fif- 
teen minutes in a bowl set in hot water. Stir till it foams. Flavor with 
wine or grated lemon-peel. 

A Healthful Pudding Sauce. — Boil, in half a pint of water, some orange 
or lemon-peel, or peach-leaves. Take them out and pour in a thin paste, 
made with two spoonfuls of flour, and boil five minutes. Then put in a pint 
of sugar, and let it boil. Then put in two spoonfuls of butter, add a glass of 
wine, and take it up before it boils. 

An excellent Sauce for any Kind of Pudding. — Beat the yelks of three 
eggs into sugar enough to make it quite sweet. Add a tea-cup of cream, or 
milk, and a little butter, and the grated peel and juice of two lemons. When 
lemons can not be had, use dried lemon-peel, and a little tartatic acid. This 
is a good sauce for puddings, especially for the Starch Minute Pudding. 
Good cider in place of wine is sometimes used. 

PASTE FOR PUDDINGS AND PIES. 

This is an article which, if the laws of health were obeyed, 
would be banished from every table ; for it unites the three 
evils — animal fat, cooJced animal fat, and heavy bread. Noth- 
ing in the whole range of cooking is more indigestible 
than rich pie-crust, especially when, as bottom crust, it is 
made still worse by being soaked, or slack-baked. Still, as 
this work does not profess to leave out unwholesome dishes, 
but only to set forth an abundance of healthful ones, and 
the reasons for preferring them, the best directions will be 
given for making the best kinds of paste. 

Pie-Crusts without Fats. — Good crusts for plain pies are made by wetting 
up the crust with rich milk turned sour, and sweetened with saleratus. Still 
better crusts are made of sour cream, sweetened with saleratus. 

Mealy potatoes boiled in salt water and mixed with the same quantity of 
flour, and wet with sour milk sweetened with saleratus, make a good crust. 

Good light bread rolled thin makes a good crust for Pan-Dowdy, or pan- 
pie, and also for the upper crust of fruit-pies, to be made without bottom 
crusts. 

Pie-Crust made with Butter. — Very plain paste is made by taking a quar- 



84 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

ter of a pound of butter for every pound of flour. Still richer, allow three 
quarters of a pound of butter to a pound of flour. 

Directions for making rich Pie-Crust. — Take a quarter of the butter to 
be used, rub it thoroughly into the flour, and wet it with cold water to a stiff 
paste. 

Next dredge the board thick with flour, cut up the remainder of the butter 
into thin slices, lay them upon the flour, dredge flour over thick, and then 
roll out the butter into thin sheets, and lay it aside. 

Then roll out the paste thin, cover it with a sheet of this rolled butter ; 
dredge on more flour, fold it up and roll it put, and repeat the process till all 
the butter is used up. 

Paste should be made as quick and as cold as possible. Some use a mar- 
ble table in order to keep it cold. Roll /row you eveiy time. 



CAKE. 85 



CHAPTER XYI. 

CAKE. 

The multiplication of recipes for cakes, pies, puddings, and 
desserts is troublesome and needless, inasmuch as a little 
generalization will reduce them to a comparatively small 
compass, and yet afford a large variety. 

Cake is of three classes, as raised either by eggs, or by 
yeast, or by powders ; and different proportions of flour, su- 
gar, shortening, and wetting make the variety, as it appears 
in what follows. 

General Directions. 

Sift flour, roll sugar, sift spices, and prepare fruit before- 
hand. Break eggs that are to be whipped, one at a time, in 
a cup, and let none of the yelk go in. Have them cold^ and 
you will get on faster. 

Excepting dough -cake, never use the hand in making 
cake, but a wooden spoon, and in an earthen vessel. 

The goodness of cake depends greatly on baking. If too 
hot at bottom, set the pan on a brick ; if too hot at top, cov- 
er with paper. If top-crust is formed suddenly, it prevents 
what is below from rising properly ; and so, when the oven 
is very hot, cover with paper. 

When fruit is used, sprinkle the fruit with a little flour to 
keep it from sinking when baking. Some put fruit in in lay- 
ers, one in the middle and another near the top, as this 
spreads it evenly. Put in the flour just before baking. 

When using whites beaten to a froth separately, put in 
the last thing, so that the bubbles of air which make tbe 
lightness may be retained more perfectly. Bake as soon as 
the cake is ready. 

Water is as good as milk for most cakes as well as for 
bread; a mixture of new and stale milk injures the cake. 

Streaks in cake are made either by imperfect mixing, or 



86 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

unequal baking, or by sudden decrease of heat before the 
cake is done. Try when cake is done, by inserting a splinter 
or straw ; if it conies out clean, the cake is done. 

The best way to keep cake is in a tin box or stone jar. 

Do not wrap cake or bread in a cloth. 

In baking, move cake gently if you change its place, or it 
will fall in streaks. Cake is more nicely baked when the 
pan is lined with oiled paper, especially in old pans, which 
often give a bad taste to the bottom and sides of the cake. 

CAKE EAISED WITH POWDERS. 

Although it is unhealthful to use powders in bread for 
daily food, the small quantity used for cake will do no harm. 

The cake most easily made is raised with soda and cream 
tartar or other baking powders, and many varieties can be 
made by the following recipes : 

One, Two, Three, Four Cake. — Take one cup of butter, (half a cup is bet- 
ter,) two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and four eggs. Mix butter, 
sugar, and yelks. Then add the flour very thoroughly, and lastly the whites 
in a stiif froth. Bake immediately, and the cake will be light, with nothing 
added. But it' is equally light to omit the eggs and work two tea-spoonfuls 
of cream tartar into the flour, and then mix well first the butter and sugar, 
and then the flour. When ready to bake, mix very thoroughly and quickly 
a tea-spoonful of soda, or a bit of sal volatile dissolved in a cup of warm (not 
hot) water. This makes two loaves. The following are varieties made by 
this recipe, using raising either with eggs or powders : 

Chocolate-Cake. — Bake the above in thin layers, only a little thicker than 
carpeting. When nearly cool, spread over the cake a paste made of equal 
parts of scraped chocolate and sugar wet with water. Place the cake in 
layers one over another, frost the top, and then cut in oblong pieces for the 
cake-basket. 

Jelly-Cake. — Proceed as above, only using jelly instead of chocolate. 

Orange-Cake. — Proceed as for jelly-cake, ha\nng flavored the cake when 
making with a little grated orange-peel. The oranges must be peeled, chop- 
ped fine, and sweetened. 

Almond and Cocoa-nut Cake. — Blanch three ounces of almonds, (that is, 
pour on boiling water and take off the skins.) Chop or pound them with an 
equal quantity of sugar, make a thin paste with water, and use this instead 
of the jelly. Cocoa-nut, chopped fine, can be used instead of almonds. Strata- 



CAKE. 87 

berries^ Peaches, Cranberries, and Quinces, and any other fruit, mashed or 
cooked, can be used in place of the jelly, being first sweetened. 

This cake can be made richer by adding spices and fruit before baking. 
Cream can be used in place of butter. Chopped almonds, citron, or cocoa- 
nut may be put in the cake for baking, making still another variety. 

CAKES RAISED WITH EGGS. 

Found-Cake, (very rich.) — One pound of flour, one pound of sugar, half a 
pound of butter, nine eggs, a glass of brandy, one nutmeg, one tea-spoonful 
of pounded cinnamon. Mix half the flour with the butter, brandy, and 
spice ; add the yelks of eggs beaten well into the sugar. Beat the whites to 
a stiff froth, and add them in alternate spoonfuls with the rest of the flour : 
then beat a long time, and bake as soon as done. 

Plain Cake raised with Eggs. — Take a pound or quart of flour, half as 
much sugar, half as much butter as sugar, four or five eggs, one nutmeg, and 
a tea-spoonful of cinnamon. Mix well the sugar, butter, yelks, and spice ; 
then the flour, and last the whites as stiff froth. 

These two cakes are varied by adding citron, fruit, or other spices, making 
them more or less rich. 

Fruit-Cake. — This to be made either like pound-cake, with fniit added ; 
or like plain cake, raised with eggs or yeast, adding"! •_ ait. 

Walnut-meats or Almonds may be chopped and put -in the cake instead of 
fruit, making another variety. 

Huckleberry-Cake. — One quart of huckleberries, three cups of sugar, three 
cups of flour, six eggs, one cup of i^ eet milk, and one tea-spoonful of soda 
dissolved in a little hot water. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the 
beaten yelks. Then add the milk, flour, and two grated nutmegs. Then add 
the whites, whipped to a stiff" froth, and the berries, gently, so as not to mash 
them. An excellent cake. 

Currants and other berries may be used in the same way. If very sour, 
add more sugar. If doubtful of raising it enough, add a tea-spoonful of 
soda; or, more surely, a bit of sal volatile the size of a hickory-nut. 

Gold and Silver Cake. — This makes a pretty variety when cut and placed 
together in a cake-dish. For each, take one cup of sugar (for the silver, 
white ; and for the gold, brown), half a cup of butter, half a cup of milk, two 
cups of flour, one tea-spoonful of cream tartar, and half as much soda. For 
the one, use the yelk of three eggs ; and the white, as stiff froth, for the oth- 
er. Mix the cream tartar very thoroughly in the flour, and put in the soda 
last. Bake immediately. This makes one loaf of each kind, in flat pans, and 
is to be frosted. If more is wanted, double the quantity of each ingredient. 

Rich Sponge-Cake. — Take twelve eggs, and the weight of ten in sugar, and 



88 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

six in flour. Beat the sugar into the yelks, add the juice and grated peel of 
one lemon, then the flour, and then the whites cut to a stiff froth, and bake 
as soon as possible. Bake in brick-shaped pans, and line them with buttered 
paper. 

Plain Sponge-Cake, (easily made.) — Mix thoroughly two cups of sifted flour 
and two cups of white sugar with one tea-spoonful of cream tartar. Beat 
four eggs to a froth, not separating the whites, and add some grated lemon- 
peel, or nutmeg, or rose-water. Just before baking, add half a tea-spoonful 
of soda dissolved in three great -spoonfuls of warm water. Beat quick, and 
set in the oven immediately. 



GINGEEBEEADj FRIED CAKES, COOKIES, AND OTHER CAKES. 

Aunt Esther's Gingerbread. — Take half a pint of molasses, a small cup of 
soft butter, a gill and a half of water, a heaping tea-spoonful of soda dissolved 
in a table-spoonful of hot water, and one even table-spoonful of strong gin- 
ger, or two if weak. Rub butter and ginger into the flour, add the water, 
soda, and molasses, and while doing it, put in two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. 
Roll it in cards an inch thick, and bake half an hour in a quick oven. 

Sponge Gingerbread. — Add to the above two beaten eggs, and w^ater to 
make it thin as pound-cake, and bake as soon as well mixed. 

Ginger-Snaps and Seed-Cookies. — One cup of butter, two cups of sugar or 
molasses, one cup of water, one table-spoonful of ginger, one heaping tea- 
spoonful of cinnamon and one of cloves, one tea-spoonful of soda dissolved 
in a small cup of hot water. Mix and add flour for a stiff" dough, roll and 
cut in small round cakes. Omit the spices, and put in four or five table- 
spoonfuls of caraway seeds, and you have seed-cakes. Leave out all spice 
and seeds, and you have plain cookies. 

Fried Cakes. — For Doughnuts, use the recipe for Plain Sponge-Cake, add- 
ing flour enough to roll. Or take Plain Cake raised with eggs, and add flour 
enough to roll. Or take Dough-Cake, or Plain Loaf-Cake, and thicken so 
as to roll. Roll about half an inch thick and cut into oblong pieces. For 
Crullers, take plain cake raised with eggs, and thicken stiff" with flour ; roll it 
thin, and cut into strips, and form twisted cakes. More sugar and butter 
make it richer, but less healthful. 

Have plenty of lard, or, better, strained beef-fat, quite hot; try with a 
small piece first, and, if right, there will be a bubbling. Turn two or three 
times to cook all alike, break open one to try if done, and when done, take 
up with a skimmer and drain well. If the fat is too hot, it will brown too 
quick ; if not hot enough, the fat will soak into the cake. Remember that 
frying is the most unhealthful mode of cooking food, and the one most like- 
ly to be done amiss. 



CAKE. 89 



CAKE RAISED WITH YEAST. 

Plain Loaf-Cake. — Two pounds of dried and sifted flour, a pint of warm 
water in which is melted a quarter of a pound of butter, half a tea-spoonful 
of salt, three eggs without beating, and three quarters of a pound of sugar, 
well mixed ; and then add two nutmegs, two tea-spoonfuls of cinnamon, and 
two gills of home-brewed or half as much distillery yeast. When light, add 
two or three pounds of fruit, and let it stand half an hour. 

Rich Loaf-Cake is made like the above, only adding more butter and sugar. 
The following are specimens of the diverse proportions : Four pounds of 
flour, three of sugar, two of butter, a quart of water or milk, ten unbeaten 
eggs, half a pint of wine, three nutmegs, three tea-spoonfuls of cinnamon, 
and two cloves ; two gills of distilleiy yeast, or twice as much home-brewed. 
This is what in New-England would be called Election or Commencement- 
Cake. Two or three risings used to be practiced, but one is as good if the 
mixing is thorough. 

Dough-Cake. — Three cups of raised dough, half a cup of butter, two cups 
of sugar, two eggs, fruit and spice to the taste. When light, bake in loaves. 
This can be made more or less sweet, and shortened by lessening or increas- 
ing the quantity of dough. It must be mixed with the hands. 

Icing for Cake. — Put the whites of eggs into a dish, and for each egg use 
about a quarter of a pound of sugar. Beat the whites, sloAyly adding the 
sugar. This is better than beating the whites first, and then adding sugar. 
A little lemon-juice or tartaric acid makes it whiter and better. Spread the 
icing, after pouring it upon the centre, with a knife dipped in water. If you 
can, dry in an open, sunny window. Otherwise, harden it in the oven. It 
improves it by mixing, when adding sugar, some almonds pounded to a thin 
paste. 



90 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

PRESERVES AND JELLIES. 

General Directions. 

Gather fruit when it is dry. 

Long boiling hardens the fruit. 

Pour boiling water over the sieves used, and wring out 
jelly-bags in hot water the moment you are to use them. 

Do not squeeze while straining through jelly-bags. 

Let the pots and jars containing sweetmeats just made 
remain uncovered three days. 

For permanent covering, lay brandy papers over the top, 
cover them tight, and seal them ; or, what is best of all, 
soak a split bladder and tie it tight over them. In drying, 
it will shrink so as to be perfectly air-tight. 

Keep them in a dry but not warm place. 

A thick, leathery mold helps to preserve fruit, but when 
mold appears in specks, the preserves must be scalded in a 
warm oven, or the jars containing them are to be set into 
hot water, which must then boil till the preserves are 
scalded. 

Always keep watch of preserves which are not sealed, 
especially in warm and damp weather. The only sure way 
to keep them without risk or care is to make them with 
enouo'h susjar and seal them or tie bladder covers over. 

The best kettle is iron lined with porcelain. . If brass is 
used, it must be bright, or acids will make a poison. 

The chief art is to boil continuously, slowly, and gently, 
and take up as soon as done ; too long boiling makes the 
fruit hard and dark. Jellies will not harden well if the 
boiling stops for some minutes. Try jellies with a spoon, 
and as soon as they harden around the edge quickly, they 
are done. In making, the sugar should be heated, and not 
added till the juice boils. 

Keej) preserves in small glass jars, as frequent opening in- 
jures them. 



PEESEKVES AND JELLIES. 91 

Canned Fruit. — This is far more economical than to preserve in sugar. 
Some can be canned without any sugar, and very nice sugar demands only 
one fourth sugar to three fourths fruit. The best cans are glass with metal 
tops. Those of Wilcox are the best known to the author. The W. L. Im- 
lay's, of Philadelphia, are recommended as best of any. 

Directions. — Set the jars in a large boiler, and then fill it with cold water 
and heat to boiling. Having filled the jars to within an inch of the top with 
alternate layers of fruit and sugar, (in proportion of one half or one fourth of 
a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, according as it is more or less acid,) set 
them in cold water. As soon as the fruit has risen to the top of the jar, screw 
on the cover and take from the water. Peaches and pears may be canned 
without sugar. 

Ta clarify Sirup for Sweetmeats. — For each pound of sugar allow half a 
pint of water. For every three pounds of sugar allow the white of one egg. 
Mix when cold, boil a few minutes, and skim it. Let it stand ten minutes 
and skim it again, then strain it. 

Brandy Peaches. — Prick the peaches with a needle, put them into a kettle 
with cold water, heat the water, scald them until sufficiently soft to be pene- 
trated with a straw. Take half a pound of sugar to eveiy pound of peaches ; 
make the sirup with the sugar, and while it is a little warm mix two thirds as 
much of white brandy with it, put the fruit into jars and pour the sirup over 
it. The late white clingstones are the best to use. 

Peaches, (not very rich.) — To six pounds of fruit put five of sugar. Make 
the siru]). Boil the fruit in the sirup till it is clear. If the fruit is ripe, half 
an hour will cook it suflSciently. 

Peaches, (very elegant.) — First take out the stones, then pare them. To 
eveiy pound of peaches allow one third of a pound of sugar. Make a thin 
sirup, boil the peaches in the sirup till tender, but not till they break. Put 
them into a bowl and pour the sirup over them. Put them in a dry, cool 
place, and let them stand two days. Then make a new, rich sirup, allowing 
three quarters of a pound of sugar to one of fruit. Drain the peaches from 
the first sirup, and boil them until they are clear in the last sirup. The first 
sirup must not be added, but may be used for any other purpose you please, 
as it is somewhat bitter. The large white clingstones are the best. 

To preserve Quinces whole. — Select the largest and fairest quinces, (as the 
poorer ones will answer for jelly.) Take out the cores and pare them. Boil 
the quinces in water till tender. Take them out separately on a platter. To 
each pound of quince allow a pound of sugar. Make the sirup, then boil the 
quinces in the sirup until clear. 

Quince Jelly. — Rub the quinces with a cloth until perfectly smooth. Re- 
move the cores, cut them into small pieces, pack them tight in your kettle. 



92 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

pour cold water on them until it is on a level with the fruit, but not to cover 
it ; boil till veiy soft, but not till they break. Dip off all the liquor you can, 
then put the fruit into a sieve and press it, and drain off all the remaining 
liquor. Then to a pint of the liquor add a pound of sugar and boil it fifteen 
minutes. Four it, as soon as cool, into small jars or tumblers. Let it stand 
in the sun a few days, till it begins to dry on the top. It will continue to 
harden after it is put up. 

Calf s-Foot Jelly. — To four nicely cleaned calf's feet put four quarts of wa- 
ter ; let it simmer gently till reduced to two quarts, then strain it and let it 
stand all night. Then take off all the fat and sediment, melt it, add the juice, 
and put in the peel of three lemons and a pint of wine, the whites of four eggs, 
three sticks of cinnamon, and sugar to your taste. Boil ten minutes, then 
skim out the spice and lemon-peel and strain it. 

The American gelatine, now very common, makes a good jelly, with far less 
trouble ; and in using it, you only need to dissolve it in hot water, and then 
sweeten and flavor it. 

To preserve Apples. — Take only tart and well-flavored apples ; peel and 
take out the cores without dividing them, and then parboil them. Make the 
sirup Avith the apple water, allowing three quarters of a pound of white sugar 
to every pound of apples, and boil some lemon-peel and juice in the sirup. 
Pour the sirup, while boiling, upon the apples, turn them gently while cook- 
ing, and only let the sirup simmer, as hard boiling breaks the fruit. Take it 
out when the apple is tender through. At the end of a week, boil them once 
more in the sirup. 

Pears. — Take out the cores, cut off the stems, and pare them. Boil the 
pears in water till they are tender. Watch them that they do not break. Lay 
them separately on a platter as you take them out. . To each pound of fruit 
take a pound of sugar. Make the sirup, and boil the fruit in the sirup till 
clear. 

Pine-Apples, (very fine.) — Pare and grate the pine-apple. Take an equal 
quantity of fruit and sugar. Boil them slowly in a saucepan for half an hour. 

Purple Plums, No. 1. — Make a rich sirup. Boil the plums in the sirup 
very gently till they begin to crack open. Then take them from the sirup into 
a jar, and pour the sirup over them. Let them stand a few days, and then 
boil them a second time very gently. 

Purple Plums, No. 2. — Take an equal weight of fruit and nice brown su- 
gar. Take a clean stone jar, put in a layer of fruit and a layer of sugar till 
all is in. Cover them tightly with dough, or other tight cover, and put them 
in a brick oven after you have baked in it. If you bake in the morning, put 
the plums in the oven at evening, and let them remain till the next morning.,, 
When you bake again, set them in the oven as before. Uncover them and 



PRESERVES AND JELLIES. 93 

Stir them carefully with a spoon, and so as not to break them. Set them in 
the oven thus the third time, and they will be sufficiently cooked. 

White or Green Plums. — Put each one into boiling water and rub off the 
skin. Allow a pound of fruit to a pound of sugar. Make a sirup of sugar 
and water. Boil the fruit in the sirup until clear — about twenty minutes. 
Let the sirup be cold before you pour it over the fruit. They can be pre- 
sented without taking off the skins by pricking them. Some of the kernels 
of the stones boiled in give a pleasant flavor. 

Citron Melons. — Two fresh lemons to a pound of melon. Let the sugar 
be equal in weight to the lemon and melon. Take out the pulp of the melon 
and cut it in thin slices, and boil it in fair water till tender. Take it out and 
boil the lemon in the same water about twenty minutes. Take out the lem- 
on, add the sugar, and, if necessary, a little more water. Let it boil. When 
clear, add the melon and let it boil a few minutes. 

Strawberries. — Look over them with care. Weigh a pound of sugar to 
each pound of fruit. Put a layer of fruit on the bottom of the preserving- 
kettle, then a layer of sugar, and so on till all is in the pan. Boil them about 
fifteen minutes. Put them in bottles, hot, and seal them. Then put them 
in a box and fill it in w'ith dry sand. The flavor of the fruit is preserved 
more perfectly by simply packing the fruit and sugar in alternate layers, and 
sealing the jar, without cooking ; but the preserves do not look so w^ell. 

Blackberry Jam. — Allow three quarters of a pound of brown sugar to a 
pound of fruit. Boil the fruit half an hour, then add the sugar and boil all 
together ten minutes. 

To preserve Currants to eat with Meat.— Strip them from the stem. 
Boil them an hour, and then to a pound of the fruit add a pound of brown 
sugar. Boil all together fifteen or twenty minutes. 

Cherries. — Take out the stones. To a pound of fruit allow a pound of 
sugar. Put a layer of fruit on the bottom of the preserving-kettle, then a 
layer of sugar, and continue thus till all are put in. Boil till clear. Put 
them in bottles hot and seal them. Keep them in dry sand. 

Currants.— Strip them from the stems. Allow a pound of sugar to a 
pound of currants. Boil them together ten minutes. Take them from the 
sirup and let the sirup boil twenty minutes, and pour it on the fruit. Put 
them in small jars or tumblers, and let them stand in the sun a few days. 

Easpberry Jam, No. 1. — Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Press 
them with a spoon in an earthen dish. Add the sugar, and boil all together 
fifteen minutes. 

Raspberry Jam, No. 2. — Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Boil 



94 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

the fruit half an hour, or till the seeds are soft. Strain one quarter of the 
fruit, and throw away the seeds. Add the sugar, and boil the whole ten min- 
utes. A little currant-juice gives it a pleasant flavor, and when that is used, 
an equal quantity of sugar must be added. 

Currant Jelly. — Pick over the ciu'rants with care. Put them in a stone 
jar, and set it into a kettle of boiling water. Let it boil till the fruit is very 
soft. Strain it through a sieve. Then run the juice through a jelly-bag. 
Put a pound of sugar to a pint of juice, and boil it together five minutes. 
Set it in the sun a few days. If it stops boiling, it is less likely to turn to jelly. 

Quince Marmalade. — Rub the quinces with a cloth, cut them in quarters. 
Put them on the fire with a little water, and stew them till they are sufficient- 
ly tender to rub them through a sieve. "When strained, put a pound of sugar 
to a pound of the pulp. Set it on the fire, and let it cook slowly. To ascer- 
tain when it is done, take out a little and let it get cold, and if it cuts smooth- 
ly, it is done. 

Crab-apple marmalade is made in the same way. 

Crab-apple jelly is made like quince jelly. 

Most other fruits are preserved so much like the preceding that it is need- 
less to give any more particular directions than to say that a pound of sugar 
to a pound of fruit is the general rule for all preserves that are to be kept 
through warm weather and a long time. 

Preserved Watermelon Rinds. — This a fine article to keep well without 
trouble for a long time. Peel the melon, and boil it in just enpugh water to 
cover it till it is soft, trying with a fork. (If you wish it green, put green 
vine-leaves above and below each layer, and scatter powdered alum, less than 
half a tea-spoonful to each pound. ) 

Allow a pound of sugar to each pound of rind, and clarify it as directed 
previously. 

Simmer the rinds two hours in this sirup, and flavor it with lemon-peel 
grated and tied in a bag. Then put the melon in a tureen, and boil the sirup 
till it looks thick, and pour it over. Next day, give the sirup another boil- 
ing, and put the juice of one lemon to each quart of sirup. Take care not to 
make it bitter by too much of the peel. 

Citrons are preserved in the same manner. Both these keep through hot 
weather with very little care in sealing and keeping. 

Preserved Pumpkin. — Cut a thick yellow pumpkin, peeled, into strips two 
inches wide and five or six long. 

Take a pound of white sugar for each pound of fruit, and scatter it over the 
fruit, and pour on two wine-glasseS of lemon-juice for each pound of pumpkin. 

Next day, put the parings of one or two lemons with the fruit and sugar, 
and boil the whole three quarters of an hour, or long enough to make it ten- 
der and clear without breaking. Lay the pumpkin to cool, strain the sirup, 
and then pour it on to the pumpkin. 

If there is too much lemon-peel, it will be bitter. 



DESSEETS AND EVENING PARTIES. 95 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

DESSERTS AND EVENING PARTIES. 

Ice-Cream. — One quart of milk. One and a half table-spoonfuls of arrow- 
root. The grated peel of two lemons. One quart of thick cream. 

Wet the an'ow-root with a little cold milk, and add it to the quart of milk 
when boiling hot ; sweeten it very sweet with white sugar, put in the grated 
lemon-peel, boil the whole, and strain it into the quart of cream. When 
partly frozen, add the juice of the two lemons. Twice this quantity is enough 
for thirty-five persons. Find the quantity of sugar that suits you by measure, 
and then you can use this eveiy time, without lasting. Some add whites of 
eggs ; others think it just as good without. It must be made very sweet, as 
it loses much by freezing. 

If you have no apparatus for freezing, (which is almost indispensable), put 
the cream into a tin pail with a very tight cover, mix equal quantities of snow 
and blown salt, (not the coarse salt), or of pounded ice and salt, in a tub, and 
put it as high as the pail, or freezer; turn the pail or freezer half round and 
back again with one hand, for half an hour, or longer, if you want it very 
nice. Three quarters of an hour steadily will make it good enough. While 
doing this, stop four or five times, and mix the frozen part with the rest, the 
last time very thoroughly, and then the lemon-juice must be put in. Then 
cover the freezer tight with snow and salt till it is wanted. The mixture 
must be perfectly cool before being put in the freezer. Renew the snow and 
salt while shaking, so as to have it kept tight to the sides of the freezer. A. 
hole in the tub holding the freezing mixture, to let off the water, is a great 
advantage. In a tin pail it would take much longer to freeze than in the 
freezer, probably nearly twice as long. A long stick, like a coffee-stick, 
should be used in scraping the ice from the sides. Iron spoons will be affect- 
ed by the lemon-juice, and give a bad taste. 

In taking it out for use, first wipe off every particle of the freezing mixture 
dry, then with a knife loosen the sides, then invert the freezer upon the dish 
in which the ice is to be served, and apply two towels wrung out of hot water 
to the bottom part, and the whole will slide out in the shape of a cylinder. 
Freezers are now sold quite cheap, and such as freeze in a short time. 

Strawberry Ice-Cream. — Rub a pint of ripe strawberries through a sieve, 
idd a pint of cream, and four ounces of powdered sugar, and freeze it. 0th- 
jr fruits may be used thus. 

Ice-Cream without Cream. — A vanilla bean or a lemon rind is first boiled 
n a quart of milk. Take out the bean or peel, and add the yelks of four 



96 THE HOUSEKEEPEE AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

eggs, beaten well. Heat it scalding hot, but do not boil it, stimng in white 
sugar till very sweet. When cold, freeze it. 

- Fruit Ice-Cream. — Make rich boiled custard, and mash into it the soft ripe 
fruit, or the grated or cooked hard fruit, or grated pine-apples. Eub all 
through a sieve, sweeten it very sweet, and freeze it. Quince, apple, pear, 
peach, strawberry, and raspberry are all very good for this purpose. 

A Cream for stewed Fruit. — Boil two or three peach leaves, or a vanilla 

bean, in a quart of cream, or milk, till flavored. Strain. and sweeten it, mix 

it with the yelks of four eggs, well beaten ; then, while heating it, add the 

V whites cut to a fioth. When it thickens take it up. When cool, pour it 

over the fruit or preserves. 

Currant, Raspberry, or Strawberry Whisk. — Put three gills of the juice 
of the fruit to ten ounces of crushed sugar, add the juice of a lemon, and a 
pint and a half of cream. Whisk it till quite thick, and serve it in jelly- 
glasses or a glass dish. 

Lemonade Ice, and other Ices. — To a quart of lemonade, add the whites 
of six eggs, cut to a froth, and freeze it. The juices of any fruit, sweetened 
and watered, may be prepared in the same way, and arc very fine. 

Charlotte Russe. — One ounce of gelatine simmered in half a pint of milk 
or water, four ounces of sugar beat into the yelks of four eggs, and added to 
the gelatine when dissolved. Then add a pint of cream or new milk. Last- 
ly, add the whites beat to a stiff" froth, and beat all together. Line a mold with 
slices of sponge-cake and set it on ice, and when the cream is a little thick- 
ened, fill the mold ; let it stand five or six hours, and then turn it into a dish. 

Flummery. — Cut sponge-cake into thin slices, and line a deep dish. Make 
»,^ij_ it moist with white wine ; make a rich custard, using only the yelks of the 
' eggs. When cool, turn it into the dish, and cut the whites to a stiff" froth, 
and put on the top. 

Chicken Salad. — Cut the white meat of chickens into small bits the size 
of peas. Chop the white parts of celery nearly as small. 

Prepare a dressing thus : rub the yelks of hard-boiled eggs smooth, to 
each yelk put half a tea-spoonful of liquid mustard, the same quantity of salt, 
a table-spoonful of oil mixed in very slowly and thoroughly, and half a wine- 
glass of vinegar. Mix the chicken and celery in a large bowl, and pour over 
this dressing. 

The dressing must not be put on till just before it is used. Bread and but- 
ter and crackers are served with it. 

Wine Jelly. — Two ounces of American isinglass or gelatine. One quart of 
boiling water. A pint and a half of white wine. The whites of three eggs. 



DESSERTS AND EVENING PARTIES. 97 

Soak the gelatine in cold water half an hour. Then take it from the water, 
and pour on the quart of boiling water. When cooled, add the grated rind 
of one lemon, and the juice of two, and a pound and a half of loaf-sugar. 
Then beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir them in, and let the 
whole boil till the egg is well mixed, but do not stir while it boils. Strain 
through a jelly-bag, and then add the wine. 

In cold weather, a pint more of water may be added. This jelly can be 
colored by beet-juice, saffron, or indigo, for fancy dishes. 

An Apple Lemon Pudding. — Six spoonfuls of grated, or of cooked and 
strained, apple. Three lemons, pulp, rind, and juice, all grated. Half a 
pound of melted butter. Sugar to the taste. Seven eggs well beaten. 

Mix, and bake with or without paste. It can be made still plainer by 
using nine spoonfuls of apple, one lemon, two thirds of a cup full of butter, 
and three eggs. 

Wheat Flour Blanc-Mange. — Wet up six table-spoonfuls of flour to a thin 
paste with cold milk, and stir it into a pint of boiling milk. Flavor with 
lemon-peel or peach-leaves boiled in the milk. Add a pinch of salt, cool it in 
a mold, and eat with sweetened cream and sweetmeats. 

Orange Marmalade. — Take two lemons and a dozen oranges ; grate the 
yellow rinds of all the oranges but five, and set it aside. Make a clear sirup 
of an equal weight of sugar. Clear the oranges of rind and seeds, put them 
with the grated rinds into the sirup, and boil about twenty minutes till it is a 
transparent mass. 

A simple Lemon Jelly, (easily made.) — One ounce of gelatine. A pound 
and a half of loaf-sugar. Three lemons, pulp, skin, and juice, grated. 

Pour a quart of boiling water upon the isinglass, add the rest, mix and 
strain it, then add a glass of wine, and pour it to cool in some regular form. 
If the lemons are not fresh, add a little cream of tartar or tartaric acid. 

Cranberry, — Pour boiling water on them, and then you can easily separate 
the good and the bad. Boil them m a very little water till soft, then sweeten 
to your taste. If you wish a jelly, take a portion and strain through a fine 
sieve. 

Apple Ice, (very fine.)— Take finely-flavored apples, grate them fine, and 
then make them very sweet, and freeze them. It is veiy delicious. 

Pears, peaches, or quinces also are nice, either grated fine or stewed and 
run through a sieve, then sweetened very sweet, and frozen. The flavor is 
much better preserved when grated than when cooked. 

"Whip Syllabub. — One pint of cream. Sifted white sugar to your taste. 
Half a tumbler of white wine. The grated rind and juice of one lemon. 
Beat all to a stiff froth. 

5 



98 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

Apple Snow. — Put six veiy tart apples in cold water over a slow fire. 
When soft, take away the skins and cores and mix in a pint of sifted white 
sugar ; beat the whites of six eggs to a stiff froth, and then add them to the 
apples and sugar. Put it in a dessert-dish and ornament with myrtle and 
box. 

Iced Fruit. — Take fine bunches of currants on the stalk, dip them in well- 
beaten whites of eggs, lay them on a sieve and sift white sugar over them, and 
set them in a wanii place to dry. 

Ornamental Froth. — The whites of four eggs in a stiff froth, put into the 
sirup of preserved raspberries or strawberries, beaten Avell together, and turned 
over ice-cream or blanc-mange. Make white froth to combine with the col- 
ored in fanciful ways. It can be put on the top of boiling milk, and hardened 
to keep its form. 

To clarify Isinglass. — Dissolve an ounce of isinglass in a cup of boiling 
water, take off the scum, and drain through a coarse cloth. Jellies, candies, 
and blanc-mange should be done m brass and stirred with silver. 

Blanc-Mange. — Two and a half sheets of gelatine broken into one quart of 
milk ; put in a warm place and stir till it dissolves. An ounce and a half of 
clarified isinglass stirred into the milk. Sugar to your taste. A tea-spoon- 
ful of fine salt. Plavor with lemon, or orange, or rose-water. Let it boil, 
stirring it well, then strain it into molds. 

Three ounces of almonds pounded to a paste and added while boiling is 
an improvement. Or filberts or hickoiy-nuts can be skinned and used thus. 
It can be flavored by boiling in it a vanilla bean or a stick of cinnamon. (Save 
the bean to use again.) 

Apple Jelly. — Boil tart peeled apples in a little water till glutinous ; strain 
out the juice, and put a pound of white sugar to a pint of the juice. Plavor 
to your taste, boil till a good jelly, and then put it into molds. 

Orange Jelly. — The juice of nine oranges and three lemons. The gi'ated 
rind of one lemon, and one orange, pared thin. Two quarts of water, and 
four ounces of gelatine broken up and boiled in it to a jelly. Add* the above, 
and sweeten to your taste. Then add the whites of eight eggs, well beaten 
to a stiff froth, and boil ten minutes ; strain and put into molds, first dipped 
in cold water. When perfectly cold, dip the mold in wann water, and turn 
on to a glass dish. 

Floating Island. — Beat the yelks of six eggs with the juice of four lemons, 
sweeten it to your taste, and stir it into a quart of boiling milk till it thickens, 
then pour it into a dish. Whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and 
put it OH the top of the cream. 



DESSERTS AND EVENING PARTIES. 99 

A Dish of Snow.— Grate the white part of cocoa-nut, put it in a glass dish, 
and serve with oranges sliced and sugared, or with currant or cranberry jel- 
lies. 

To clarify Sugar.— Take four pounds of sugar, and break it up. Whisk 
the white of an .egg, and put it with a tumblerful of water into a preserving- 
pan, and add water gradually till you have two quarts, stirring well. When 
there is a good frothing, throw in the sugar, boil moderately, and skim it. 
If the sugar rises to run over, throw in a little cold water, and then skim it, 
as it is then still. Repeat this, and when no more scum rises, strain the su- 
gar for use. 

Candied Fruits.— Preserve the fruit, then dip it in sugar boiled to candy 
thickness, and then dry it. Grapes and some other fruits may be dipped in 
uncooked, and then dried, and they are fine. 

Another Way. — Take it from the sirup, when preserved, dip it in powdered 
sugar, and set it on a sieve in an oven to diy. 

To make an Ornamental Pyramid for a Table.— Boil loaf-sugar as for can- 
dy, and rub it over a stiff form made for the purpose, of stiff paper or paste- 
board, which must be well buttered. Set it on a table, and begin at the bot- 
tom, and stick on to this frame with the sugar, a row of macaroons, kisses, or 
other ornamental articles, and continue till the whole is covered. When cold, 
draw out the pasteboard form, and set the pyramid in the centre of the table 
with a small bit of wax-candle burning with it, and it looks very beautifully. 



100 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

DEINKS AND ARTICLES FOR THE SICK AND YOUNG CHILDREN. 

Drinks made of the juice of fruits and water are good for 
all who are in health. Various preparations of cocoa-nuts 
are so also. Tea is often made or adulterated with un- 
healthful articles. Coffee is usually drank so strong as to 
injure children and grown persons of delicate constitution. 
All alcoholic drinks are dangerous, because they are so gen- 
erally mixed with harmful matter, and because they so often 
lead to excess, and then to ruin. The common-sense maxim 
is, when there is danger, choose the safest course. The 
Christian maxim is, " We that are strong ought to bear the 
infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." 

Obedience to these two maxims would save thousands of 
young children and delicate persons from following the dan- 
gerous example of those "that are strong." 

To make Tea. — The safest tea is the black, as less stimulating than green; 
both excite the brain and nerves when strong. The chief direction is to have 
water boiling hot. First soak the tea in a veiy little hot water, and then add 
boiling water. 

To make Coffee. — Roast it slowly in a tight vessel, and so it can be stirred 
often. To roast all equally a dark brown and have none burned, is the main 
thing. Keep it in a tight box, or, better, gi-ind it fresh when used. Clear 
it by putting into it, when making, a fresh egg-shell crushed, or the white of 
an egg, or a small bit of fish-skin. Some filter, and some boil ; and there 
are coffee-pots made for each method, and some that require nothing put in 
to clear the coffee. The aroma is retained just in proportion as the coffee is 
confined, both before making and also while making. 

Fish-skin for Coffee. — Take it from codfish before cooking ; have it nice 
and dry. Cut in inch squares, and take one for two quarts of coffee. j 

Cocoa. — The cracked is best. Put two table-spoonfuls of it into three pints 
of cold water. Boil an hour for first use, save the remnants and boil it again, 
as it is very strong. Do this several times. For ground cocoa use two table-.f 
spoonfuls to a quart, and boil half an hour. Boil the milk by itself, and add 



DRINKS, ETC. 101 

it liberally when taken up. For the shells of cocoa, use a heaping tea-cupful 
for a quart of water. Put them in over night and boil a long time. 

Cream for Coffee and Tea. — Heat new milk, and let it stand till cool and 
all the cream rises ; this is the best way for common use. To every pint of 
this add a pound and a quarter of loaf-sugar, and it will keep good a month 
or more, if corked tight in glass. 

Chocolate. — Put three table-spoonfuls when scraped to each pint, boil half 
an hour, and add boiled milk when used. 

Delicious Milk-Lemonade. — Half a pint of sherry wine and as much lem- 
on-juice, six ounces loaf-sugar, and a pint of water poured in when boiling. 
Add not quite a pint of cold milk, and strain the whole. 

Strawberry and Raspberry Vinegar. — Mix four pounds of the fruit with 
three quarts of cider or wine vinegar, and let them stand three days. Drain 
the vinegar through a jelly -bag and add four more pounds of fruit, and in three 
days do the same. Then strain out the vinegar for summer drinks, efferves- 
cing with soda or only with water. 

White Tea, and Boys' Coffee for Children. — Children never love tea and 
coffee till they are trained to it. They always like these drinks. Put two 
tea-spoonfuls of sugar to half a cup of hot water, and add as much good milk. 
Or crumb toast or dry bread into a bowl with plenty of sugar, and add half 
milk to half boiling water. 

Dangerous Use of Milk. — Milk is not only drink, but rich food. It there- 
fore should not be used as drink with other food, as is water or tea and cof- 
fee. Persons often cause bilious difficulties by using milk in addition to ordi- 
nary food as the chief drink. It is a well-established fact that some grown 
persons as well as young children can not drink milk, and in some cases can 
not eat bread wet with milk, without trouble from it. 

Simple Drinks. — Pour boiling water on mashed cranberries, or grated ap- 
ples, or tamarinds, or mashed currants or raspberries, pour off the water, 
sweeten, and in summer cool with ice. 

Pour boiling water on to bread toasted quite brown, or on to pounded 
parched corn, boil a minute, strain, and add sugar and cream, or milk. 

Simple Wine Whey. — Mix equal quantities of milk and boiling water, add 
wine and sweeten. 

Toast and Cider. — Take one third brisk cider and two thirds cold water, 
sweeten it, crumb in toasted bread, and grate on a little nutmeg. Acid jelly 
will do Avhen cider is not at hand. 



102 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

Panada. — Toast two or three crackers, pour on boiling water and let it 
simmer two or three minutes, add a well-beaten egg, sweeten and flavor with 
nutmeg. 

Water-Gruel. — Scald half a tumblerful of fresh ground corn-meal, add a 
table-spoonful of flour made into a paste, boil twenty minutes or more, and 
add salt, sugar, and nutmeg. Oat-meal gruel is excellent made thus. 

Beef-Tea. — Pepper and salt some good beef cut into small pieces, pour on 
boiling water and steep half an hour. A better way is to put the meat thus 
prepared into a bottle kept in boiling water for four or five hours. 

Tomato Sirup. — Put a pound of sugar to a quart of juice, bottle it, and use 
for a beverage with water. 

Sassafras Jelly. — Soak the pith of sassafras till a jelly, and add a little 
sugar. 

Egg Tea, Egg Coffee, and Egg Milk. — Beat the yelk of an egg in some su- 
gar and a little salt ; add either cold tea or coffee or milk. Then beat the 
whites to a stiff" froth and add. Flavor the milk with wine. Some do not, 
like the taste of raw egg, and so the other articles may first be made boiling 
hot before the white is put in. 

Oat-Meal Gruel. — Four table-spoonfuls of grits, (unbolted oat-meal,) a 
pinch of salt and a pint of boiling water. Skim, sweeten, and flavor. Or 
make a thin batter of fine oat-meal, and pour into boiling water ; then 
sweeten and flavor it. 

Pearl Barley-Water. — Boil two and a half ounces of pearl barley ten min- 
utes in half a pint of water, strain it, add a quart of boiling water, boil it 
down to half the quantity, strain, sweeten, and flavor with sliced lemon or 
nutmeg. 

Cream Tartar Beverage. — Put two even tea-spoonfuls cream tartar to a 
pint of boiling water, sweeten and flavor with lemon-peel. 

Rennet Whey, (good for a weak stomach after severe illness,) — Soak 
rennet two inches square one hour, add half a gill of water and a pinch of 
salt ; then pour it into a pint of warm (not hot) milk. Let it stand half an 
hour, then cut it, and after an hour drain off' the liquid. Let it stand awhile, 
and drain off" more whey. 

Refreshing Drink for a Fever. — Mix sprigs of sage, balm, and sorrel with 
half a sliced lemon, tlie skin on. Pour on boiling water, sweeten and cork it. 



PROVIDING AND CARE OF FAMILY STORES. 103 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE PROVIDING AND CARE OF FAMILY STORES. 

The art of keeping a good table consists not in loading on 
a variety at each meal, but rather in securing a successive 
variety, a table neatly and tastefully set, and every thing 
that is on it cooked in the best manner. 

There are some families who provide an abundance of the 
most expensive and choice articles, and spare no expense in 
any respect, yet who have every thing cooked in such a miser- 
able way, and a table set in so slovenly a manner, that a per- 
son accustomed to a really good table can scarcely taste a 
morsel with any enjoyment. 

On the contrary, there are many tables where the closest 
economy is practiced ; and yet the table-cloth is so white and 
smooth, the dishes, silver, glass, and other table articles so 
bright, and arranged with such propriety ; the bread so light 
and sweet ; the butter so beautiful, and every other article 
of food so well cooked, and so neatly and tastefully served, 
that every thing seems good, and pleases both the eye and 
the palate. 

A habit of doing every thing in the best manner is of un- 
speakable importance to a housekeeper, and every woman 
ought to aim at it, however great the difficulties she may 
have to meet. If a young housekeeper commences with a de- 
termination to try to do every thing in the best manner, and 
perseveres in the eifort, meeting all obstacles with patient 
cheerfulness, not only the moral but the intellectual tone of 
her mind is elevated by the attempt. Although she may 
meet many insuperable difficulties, and may never reach the 
standard at which she aims, the simple ^^qy\j^ persevered in, 
will have an elevating influence on her character ; while, at 
the same time, she actually will reach a point of excellence 
fiir ahead of those who, discouraged by many obstacles, give 
up in despair, and resolve to make no more efforts, and let 



104 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

things go as they will. The grand distinction between a 
noble and an ignoble mind is, that one will control circum- 
stances ; the other yields, and allows circumstances to con- 
trol her. 

It should be borne in mind that the constitution of man 
demands a variety of food, and that it is just as cheap to 
keep on hand a good variety of materials in the store-closet, 
so as to make a frequent change, as it is to buy one or two 
articles at once, and live on them exclusively, till every per- 
son is tired of them, and then buy two or three more of an- 
other kind. 

It is too frequently the case that families fall into a very 
limited round of articles, and continue the same course from 
one year to another, when there is a much greater variety 
within reach of articles which are just as cheap and as easily 
obtained, and yet remain unthought of and untouched. 

A thrifty and genei'ous provider will see that her store- 
closet is furnished with such a variety of articles that suc- 
cessive changes can be made, and for a good length of time. 
To aid in this, a slight sketch of a well-provided store-closet 
will be given, with a description of the manner in which 
each article should be stored and kept, in order to avoid 
waste and injury. To this will be added modes of securing 
a successive variety within the reach of all in moderate cir- 
cumstances. 

It is best to have a store-closet open from the kitchen, be- 
cause the kitchen fire keeps the atmosphere dry, and this 
prevents the articles stored from molding, and other injury 
from dampness. Yet it must not be kept warm, as there are 
many articles which are injured by warmth. 

A cool and dry place is indispensable for a store-room, and 
a small window over the door, and another opening out- 
doors, give a great advantage, by securing coolness and cir- 
culation of fresh air. 

Flour should be kept in a barrel, with a flour-scoop to dip 
it, a sieve to sift it, and a pan to hold the sifted flour, either 
in the barrel or close at hand. The barrel should have a 
tight cover to keep out mice and vermin. It is best to find, 
by trial, a lot of first-rate flour, and then buy a year's sup- 



PROVIDING AND CARE OF FAMILY STORES. 105 

ply. But this should not be done unless there are accom- 
modations for keeping it dry and cool, and protecting it 
from vermin. 

Tlnholted flour should be stored in kegs or covered tubs, 
and always be kept on hand as regularly as fine flour. It 
should be bought only when freshly ground, and only in 
moderate quantities, as it loses sweetness by keeping. 

Indian meal should be purchased in small quantities, say 
fifteen or twenty pounds at a time, and be kept in a covered 
tub or keg. It is always improved by scalding. It must 
be kept very cool and dry, and if occasionally stirred, is pre- 
served more surely from growing sour or musty. Fresh 
ground is best. 

Rye should be bought in small quantities, say forty or 
fifty pounds at a time, and be kept in a keg or half-barrel, 
Avith a cover. 

Buckwheat^ Mice, Hominy, and Ground Rice must be pur- 
chased in small quantities, and kept in covered kegs or tubs. 
Several of these articles are infested with small black insects, 
and examination must occasionally be made for them. 

Arrowroot, Tapioca, Sago, Pearl Rarley, Pearl Wlieat, 
Cracked Wheat, American Isinglass, Macaroni, Vermicelli, 
and Oat-meal are all articles which help to make an agreea- 
ble variety, and it is just as cheap to buy a small quantity 
of each as it is to buy a larger quantity of two or three ar- 
ticles. Eight or ten pounds of each of these articles of food 
can be stored in covered jars or covered wood boxes, and 
then they are always at hand to help to make a variety. 
All of them are very healthful food, and help to form many 
deligjhtful dishes for desserts. Some of the most healthful 
puddings are those made of rice, tapioca, sago, and maca- 
roni; while isinglass, or American gelatine, forms elegant ar- 
ticles for desserts, and is also excellent for the sick. 

Sugars should not be bought by the barrel, as the brown 
is apt to turn to molasses, and run out on to the floor. Re- 
fined loaf for tea, crushed sugar for the nicest preserves and 
to use with fruit, nice brown sugar for coflee, and common 
brown for more common use. The loaf can be stored in the 
paper, on a shelf The others should be kept in close cov- 

5* 



106 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

ered kegs, or covered wooden articles made for the pur- 
pose. 

Butter must be kept in the dryest and coldest place you 
can find,~in vessels of either stone, earthen, or wood, and 
never in tin. 

Lard and Drippings must be kept in a dry, cold place, 
and should not be salted. Usually the cellar is the best 
place for them. Earthen or stone jars are the best to store 
them in. 

Salt must be kept in the dryest place that can be found. 
Hock salt is the best for table-salt. It should be washed, 
dried, pounded, sifted, and stored in a glass jar, and covered 
close. It is common to find it growing damj? in the salt- 
stands for the table. It should then be set by the fire to dry, 
and afterward be reduced to fine powder again. Few things 
are more disagreeable than coarse or damp salt on a table. 

Vinegar is best made of wine or cider. Buy a keg or half- 
barrel of it, set and it in the cellar, and then keep a supply 
for the casters in a bottle in the kitchen. If too strong, it 
eats the pickles. Much manufactured vinegar is sold that 
ruins pickles, and is unhealthful. 

Pickles never must be kept in glazed ware, as the vinegar 
forms a poisonous compound with the glazing. 

Oil must be kept in the cellar. Winter-strained must be 
got in cold weather, as the summer-strained will not burn 
except in warm weather. Those who use kerosene oil should 
never trust it Avith heedless servants or children. Never fill 
lamps with it at night, nor allow servants to kindle fire with 
it, or to fill a lamp with it when lighted. Inquire for the 
safest pattern of lamps, and learn all the dangers to be 
avoided, and the cautions needful in the use of this most 
dangerous explosive oil. IsTeglect this caution, and you 
probably will be a sorrowful mourner all your life for the 
suffierings or death of some dear friend. 

3Iolasses, if bought by the barrel or half-barrel, should be 
kept in the cellar. If bought in small quantities, it should 
be kept in a demijohn. No vessel should be corked or 
bunged, if filled witli molasses, as it will swell and burst the 
vessel, or run over. 



PROVIDING AND CAKE OF FAMILY STOKES. 107 

Hard Soap should be bought by large quantity, and laid 
to harden on a shelf in a very dry place. It is much more 
economical to buy hard than soft soap, as those who use 
soft soap are very apt to waste it in using it, as they can not 
do with hard soap. 

Starch it is best to buy by a large quantity. It comes 
very nicely put up in papers, a pound or two in each paper, 
and packed in a box. The high-priced starch is cheapest in 
the end. 

Indigo is not always good. When a good lot is found by 
trial, it is best to get enough for a year or t.wo, and store it 
in a tight tin box. 

Coffee it is best to buy by the bag, as it improves by 
keeping. Let it hang in the bag in a dry place, and it loses 
its rank smell and taste. It is poor economy to buy ground 
coffee, as it often has other articles mixed, and loses flavor 
by keeping after it is ground. 

Tea, if bought by the box, is several cents a pound cheap- 
er than by small quantities. If well put up in boxes lined 
with lead, it keeps perfectly ; but put up in paper, it soon 
loses its flavor. It therefore should, if in small quantities, be 
put up in glass or tin, and shut tight. 

Soda should be bought in small quantities, then powdered, 
sifted, and kept tight corked in a large-mouth glass bottle. 
It grows damp if exposed to the air, and then can not be 
used properly. 

Jiaisi?is should not be bought in large quantities, as they 
are injured by time. It is best to buy the small boxes. 

Currants for cake should be prepared, and set by for use 
in a jar. 

Lemon and Orange Peel should be dried, pounded, and set 
up in corked glass jars. 

Nutmeg^ Cinnamon^ Cloves^ Mace^ and Allspice should be 
pounded fine, and corked tight in small glass bottles, with 
mouths large enough for a junk-bottle cork, and then put in 
a tight tin box, made for the purpose. Or they can be put 
in small tin boxes with tight covers. Essences are as good 
as spices. 

Sweet Herhs should be dried, the stalks thrown away, and 



108 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 

the rest be kept in corked large-mouth bottles, or small tin 
boxes. 

Cream Tartar^ Citric and Tartaric Acids, Bicarbonate of 
Soda, and Essences should be kept in corked glass jars. Sal 
volatile must be kept in a large-mouth bottle, with a ground- 
glass stopper to make it air-tight. Use cold water in dis- 
solving it. It must be powdered. 

Preserves and Jellies should be kept in glass or stone, in a 
cool, dry place, well sealed, or tied with bladder covers. If 
properly made and thus put up, they never will ferment. If 
it is difficult to find a cool, dry place, pack the jars in a box, 
and fill the interstices with sand, very thoroughly dried. It 
is best to put jellies in tumblers, or small glass jars, so as to 
open only a small quantity at a time. 

The most easy way of keeping Hams perfectly is to wrap 
and tie them in paper, and pack them in boxes or barrels 
with ashes. The ashes must fill all interstices, but must not 
touch the hams, as it absorbs the fat. It keeps them sweet, 
and protects from all kinds of insects. 

After smoked beef or hams are cut, hang them in a coarse 
linen bag in the cellar, and tie it up to keep out flies. 

Keep Cheese in a cool, dry place, and after it is cut, wrap 
it in a linen cloth, and keep it in a tight tin box. 

Keep JBread in a tin covered box, and it will keep fresh 
and good longer than if left exposed to the air. 

CaJce also should be kept in a tight tin box. Tin boxes 
made with covers like trunks, with handles at the ends, are 
best for bread and cake. 

Smoked herring keep in the cellar. 

Codfish is improved by changing it, once in a while, back 
and forth from garret to cellar. Some dislike to have it in 
the house anywhere. 

All salted provision must be watched, and kept under the 
brine. When the brine looks bloody, or smells badly, it 
must be scalded, and more salt put to it, and poured over 
the meat. 



ox SETTING TABLES. 109 



CHAPTER XXI. 

ox SETTING TABLES, AND PEEPAEIXG YARIOUS ARTICLES OF 
FOOD FOR THE TABLE. 

To a person accustomed to a good table, the manner in 
which the table is set, and the mode in which food is pre- 
pared and set on, has a great influence, not only on the eye, 
but the appetite. A housekeeper ought, therefore, to attend 
carefully to these particulars. 

The table-cloth should always be inhite, and well washed 
and ironed. When taken from the table, it should be folded 
in the ironed creases, and some heavy article laid on it. A 
heavy bit of plank, smoothed and kept for the purpose, is use- 
ful. By this method, the table-cloth looks tidy much longer 
than when it is less carefully laid aside. 

When table-napkins are used, care should be taken to keep 
the same one to each person ; and in laying them aside, they 
should be folded so as to hide the soiled places, and laid un- 
der pressure. It is best to use napkin-rings. 

The table-cloth should always be put on square, and right 
side upward. The articles of table furniture should be placed 
with order and symmetry. 

The bread for breakfast and tea should be cut in even, reg- 
ular slices, not over a fourth of an inch thick, and all crumbs 
removed from the bread-plate. They should be piled in a reg- 
ular form, and if the slices are large they should be divided. 

The butter should be cooled in cold water, if not already 
hard, and then cut into a smooth and regular form, and a 
butter-knife be laid by the plate, to be used for no other pur- 
pose but to help the butter. 

A small plate should be placed at each plate for butter, 
and a small salt-cup set by each breakfast or dinner-plate. 
This saves butter and salt. 

All the flour should be wiped from small cakes, and the 
crumbs be kept from the hread-plato. 



110 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

In preparing dishes for the dinner-table, all water should 
be carefully drained from the vegetables, and the edges of 
the platters and dishes should be made perfectly clean and 
neat. 

All soiled spots should be removed from the outside of 
pitchers, gravy-boats, and every article used on the table ; 
the handles of the knives and forks must be clean, and the 
knives bright and sharp. 

In winter, the plates and all the dishes used, both for meat 
and vegetables, should be set to the fire to warm, when the 
table is being set, as cold plates and dishes cool the vegeta- 
bles, gravy, and meats, which by many is deemed a great 
injury. 

Cucumbers, when prepared for table, should be laid in 
cold wat^r for an hour or two to cool, and then be peeled 
and cut into fresh cold water. Then they should be drained, 
and brought to the table, and seasoned the last thing. 

The water should be drained thoroughly from all greens 
and salads. 

There are certain articles which are usually set on to- 
gether, because it is the fashion^ or because they are suited 
to each other. 

Thus, with stroyig-flavored meats^ like mutton, goose, and 
duck, it is customary to serve the strong-flavored vegetables, 
such as onions and turnips. Thus, turnips are put in mut- 
ton broth, and served with mutton, and oiiions are used to 
stuff geese and ducks. But onions are usually banished 
from the table and from cooking on account of the disagree- 
able flavor they impart to the atmosphere and breath. 

Boiled Poultry should be accompanied with boiled ham 
or tongue. 

Boiled JRice is served with poultry as a vegetable. 

Jelly is served with mutton, venison, and roasted meats, 
and is used in the gravies for hashes. 

Fresh Pork requires some acid sauce, such as cranberry, 
or tart apple-sauce. 

Prawn Butter^ prepared as in the recipe, with eggs in it, 
is used with boiled fowls and boiled fish. 

PlcMes are served especially with fish, and ^oy is a fash- 



ON SETTING TABLES. Ill 

ionable sauce for fish, which is mixed on the plate with 
drawn butter. 

There are modes oi garnishing dishes^ and preparing them 
for table, which give an air of taste and refinement that 
pleases the eye. Thus, in preparing a dish of fricasseed fowls, 
or stewed fowls, or cold fowls warmed over, small cups of 
boiled rice can be laid inverted around the edge of the plat- 
ter, to eat with the meat. 

On Broiled Ham or Yeal, eggs boiled or fried, and laid 
one on each piece, look well. 

Greeris and Asj^aragics should be well drained, and laid 
on buttered toast, and then slices of boiled eggs be laid on 
the top and around. 

Hashes and preparations of pigs' and calves' head and 
feet should be laid on toast, and garnished with round slices 
of lemon. 

Curled Parsley^ or Common Parsley, is a pretty garnish, 
to be fastened to the shank of a ham, to conceal the bone, 
and laid around the dish holding it. It looks well laid 
around any dish of cold slices of tongue, ham, or meat of 
any kind. 

In setting a tea-table, small-sized plates are set around, 
with a knife, napkin, and butter-plate laid by each in a reg- 
ular manner, while the articles of food are to be set, also, in 
regular order. On the waiter are placed tea-cups and sau- 
cers, sugar-bowl, slop-bowl, cream-cup, and two or three 
articles for tea, coflfee, and hot water, as the case may be. 
On the dinner-table, by each plate, is a knife, fork, napkin, 
and tumbler; and a small butter-plate and salt-cup should 
also be placed by each plate. 



112 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

WASHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. 

Many a woman without servants, or with those untrained, 
must do her own washing and ironing, or train others to do 
it, and this is the most trying department of housekeeping. 
The following may aid in lessening labor and care. 

It saves washing and is more healthful to use flannel shirts. 
Farmers, sailors, and soldiers have found by experience that 
they are more comfortable than cotton or linen, even in the 
hottest days. Many gentlemen use them for common wear, 
changing to a cotton-flannel night-gown for sleeping. So 
young children can have a flannel jacket and flannel drawers 
sewed to the jacket in front, and buttoned behind, and change 
them at night for cotton-flannel made in the same way. The 
under-garments for women may be made of the same mate- 
rial and pattern, and this will save washing and promote 
health. 

Some ladies economize time and labor by wearing three- 
cornered lace articles for the neck, trimmed with imitation 
Valenciennes lace, wash them in their wash-bowl, whiten 
in soap-suds in a tumbler or bowl in their window, stiffen 
with gum-arabic, and after stretching, press under weights 
between clean papers. This is a happy contrivance when on 
a journey or without servants. Those who wish to save all 
needless labor in washes should have under-garments and 
night-gowns made in sack forms or other fashions that save 
in both material and labor. They also should omit ruffles 
and other trimmings that increase the labor of ironing. 

There is nothing which tends mm'e effectually to secure 
good washing than a full supply of all conveniences. A 
plenty of soft water is a very important item. When this 
can not be had, lye or soda can be put in hard water, to soften 
it. Borax is safer than soda, which turns white clothes yel- 
low, and injures texture. Buy crude borax, and for a com- 



WASHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. 113 

mon washing use half an ounce. A hoixix soap is thus made : 
To a pound of •bar-soap, cut in small pieces, put a quart of 
hot water and an ounce of powdered borax. Heat and mix, 
but do not boil, cool and cut into cakes, and use like hard 
soap. Soak the white clothes in a suds made of this soap 
over night, and it saves much rubbing. Two wash-forms are 
needed ; one for the two tubs in which to put the suds, and 
the other for bluing and starching-tubs. Four tubs, of dif- 
ferent sizes, are necessary ; also, a large wooden dipper, (as 
metal is apt to rust;) two or three pails; a grooved w^ash- 
board ; a clothes-line, (sea-grass or horse-hair is best ;) a wash- 
stick to move clothes w^hen boiling, and a wooden fork to 
take them out. Soap-dishes, made to hook on the tubs, save 
soap and time. Provide, also, a clothes-bag, in which to boil 
clothes; an indigo-bag, of double flannel; a starch-strainer, 
of coarse linen ; a bottle of ox-gall for calicoes ; a supply of 
starch, neither sour nor musty ; several dozens of clothes-pins, 
which are cleft sticks, used to fasten clothes on the line ; a 
bottle of dissolved gum-arabic; two clothes-baskets; and a 
brass or copper kettle, for boiling clothes, as iron is apt to rust. 
A closet for keeping all these things is a great convenience. 
Tubs, pails, and all hooped wooden ware, should be kept out 
of the sun, and in a cool place, or they will fall to pieces. 

COMMON MODE OF 'WASHING. 

Assort the clothes, and put those most soiled in soak the 
night before. Never pour hot water on them, as it sets the 
dirt. In assorting clothes, put the flannels in one lot, the 
colored clothes in another, the coarse white ones in a third, 
and the fine clothes in a fourth lot. Wash the fine clothes 
in one tub of suds. When clothes are very much soiled, a 
second suds is needful, turning them wrong side out. Put 
them in the boiling-bag, and boil them in strong suds for 
half an hour, and not much more. Move them, while boil- 
ing, with the clothes-stick. Take them out of the boiling- 
bag, and put them into a tub of water, and rub the dirtiest 
places again, if need be. Throw them into the rinsing-wa- 
ter, and then wring them out, and put them into the bluing- 
water. Put the articles to be stiffened into a clolhes-basket 



114 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

by themselves, and, just before hanging out, dip them in 
starch, clapping it in, so as to have them ecfually stiff in all 
parts. Hang white clothes in the sun, and colored ones 
(wrong side out) in the shade. Fasten them with clothes- 
pins. Then wash the coarser white articles in the same man- 
ner. Then wash the colored clothes. These must not be 
soaked, nor have lye or soda put in the water, and they 
ought not to lie wet long before hanging out, as it injures 
their colors. Beefs-gall, one spoonful to two pailfuls of suds, 
improves calicoes. Lastly, wash the flannels in suds as hot 
as the hand can bear. ISTever rub on soap, as this shrinks 
them in spots. Wring them out of the first suds, and throw 
them into another tult of hot suds, turning them wrong side 
out. Then throw them into hot bluing-water. Do not put 
bluing into suds, as it makes specks in the flannel. Never 
leave flannels long in water, nor put them in cold or luke- 
warm water. Before hanging them out, shake and stretch 
them. Some housekeepers have a close closet, made with 
slats across the top. On these slats, they put their flannels, 
when ready to hang out, and then burn brimstone under 
them, for ten minutes. It is but little trouble, and keeps the 
flannels as white as new. Wash the colored flannels and 
hose after the white, adding more hot water. Some persons 
dry woolen hose on stocking-boards, shaj)ed like a foot and 
leg, with strings to tie them on the line. This keeps them 
from shrinking, and makes them look better than if ironed. 
It is also less work than to iron them properly. 

Bedding should be washed in long days, and in hot weath- 
er. Empty straw beds once a year. 

The following cautions in regard to calicoes are useful. 
Never wash them in very warm water; and change the wa- 
ter when it appears dingy, or the light parts Avill look dirty. 
Never rub on soap ; but remove grease with French chalk, 
starch, magnesia, or Wilmington clay. Make starch for black 
calicoes with coffee-water, to prevent any whitish appearance. 
Glue is good for stiffening calicoes. When laid aside, not to 
be used, all stiffening should be washed out, or they will oft- 
en be injured. Never let calicoes freeze in drying. Some 
persons use bran-water (four quarts of wheat-bran to two 



WASHIXG, IROXIXG, AND CLEANSING. 115 

pails of water), and no soap, for calicoes ; washing and rins- 
ing in the bran-water. Potato-water is equally good. Take 
eight peeled and grated potatoes to one gallon of water. 

To cleanse Gentlemen'' s Broadcloths. — The best way, which 
the writer has repeatedly tried with unfailing success, is the 
following : Take one beefs-gall, half a pound of saleratus, 
and four gallons of warm water. Lay the article on a table, 
and scour it thoroughly, in every part, with a clothes-brush 
dipped in this mixture. The collar of a coat, and the grease- 
spots, (previously marked by stitches of white thread,) must 
be repeatedly brushed. Then take the article and rinse it 
up and down in the mixture. Then rinse it up and down in 
a tub of soft cold water. Then, without wringing or press- 
ing, hang it to drain and dry. Fasten a coat up by the 
collar. When perfectly dry, it is sometimes the case, with 
coats, that nothing more is needed. In other cases, it is nec- 
essary to dampen with a sponge the parts which look wrink- 
led, and either pull them smooth with the fingers, or press 
them with an iron, having a piece of bombazine or thin wool- 
en cloth between the iron and the article. 

TO MANUFACTURE LYE, SOAP, STARCH, AND OTHER ARTICLES 

USED IN WASHING. 

To make Lye. — Provide a large tub, made of pine or ash, 
and set it on a form, so high that a tub can stand under it. 
Make a hole, an inch in diameter, near the bottom, on one 
side. Lay bricks inside about this hole, and straw over them. 
To every seven bushels of ashes add two gallons of unslack- 
ed lime, and throw in the ashes and lime in alternate layers. 
While putting in the ashes and lime, pour on boiling water, 
using three or four pailfuls. After this, add a pailful of cold 
soft water once an hour, till all the ashes appear to be well 
soaked. Catch the drippings in a tub and try its strength 
with an egg. If the egg rise so as to show a circle as large 
as a ten-cent piece, the strength is right ; if it rise higher, the 
lye must be weakened by water; if not so higli, the ashes 
are not good, and the whole process must be repeated, put- 
ting in fresh ashes, and running the weak lye through the 
new ashes, with some additional water. Quick-lye is made 



116 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

by pouring one gallon of boiling soft water on three quarts 
of ashes, and straining it. Oak ashes are best. 

To make Soft jSocq). — Save all drippings and fat, melt 
them, and set them away in cakes. Some persons keep, for 
soap-grease, a half-barrel, with weak lye in it, and a cover 
over it. To make soft soap, take the proportion of one pail- 
ful of lye to three pounds of fat. Melt the fat, and pour in 
the lye, by degrees. Boil it steadily, through the day, till it 
is ropy. If not boiled enough, on cooling it will turn to lye 
and sediment. While boiling, there should always be a lit- 
tle oil on the surface. If this does. not appear, add more 
grease. If there is too much grease, on cooling, it will rise, 
and can be skimmed off. Try it, by cooling a small quantity. 
When it appears like jelly on becoming cold, it is done. It 
must then be put in a cool place and often stirred. 

To inake cold Soft Soap, melt thirty pounds of grease, put 
it in a barrel, add four pailfuls of strong lye, and stir it up 
thoroughly. Then gradually add more lye, till the barrel is 
nearly full, and the soap looks about right. 

To 9naJce T*otash-Soapj melt thirty-nine pounds of grease, 
and put it in a barrel. Take twenty-nine pounds of light 
ash-colored potash, (the 7'eddlsh-co\oYed will spoil the soap,) 
and pour hot water on it; then pour it off into the grease, 
stirring it well. Continue thus till all the potash is melted. 
Add one pailful of cold water, stirring it a great deal every 
day, till the barrel be full, and then it is done. This is the 
cheapest and best kind of soap. It is best to sell ashes and 
buy potash. The soap is better, if it stand a year before it 
is used; therefore make two barrels at once. 

To 2^r€pare Starch. — Take four table-spoonfuls of starch ; 
put in as much water, and rub it, till all lumps are removed. 
Tlien add half a cup of cold water. Pour this into a quart 
of boiling water, and boil it for half an hour, adding a piece 
of spermaceti, or a lump of salt or sugar, as large as a hazel- 
nut. Strain it, and put in a very little bluing. Thin it 
with hot water. 

Beef^s-Gall. — Send a junk-bottle to the butcher, and have 
several gall-bladders emptied into it. Keep it salted, and in 
a cool place. Some persons perfume it ; but fresh air re- 



WASHING, IKONING, AND CLEANSING. 117 

moves the unpleasant smell which it gives, when used for 
clothes. 

DIRECTIONS rOK STARCHING MUSLINS AND LACES. 

Many ladies clap muslins, then dry them, and afterward 
sprinkle them. This saves time. Others clap them till 
nearly dry, then fold and cover, and then iron them. Iron 
wrought muslins on soft flannel, and on the wrong side. 

To do up Laces nicely^ sew a clean piece of muslin around 
a long bottle, and roll the lace on it ; pulling out the edge, 
and rolling it so that the edge will turn in, and be covered 
as you roll. Fill the bottle with water, and then boil it for 
an hour in a suds made with white soap. Rinse it in fair 
water, a little blue ; dry it in the sun; and, if any stiffening 
is wished, use thin starch or gum-arabic. When dry, fold 
and press it between white papers in a large book. It im- 
proves the lace to wet it with sweet-oil, after it is rolled on 
the bottle, and before boiling in the suds. Blonde laces can 
be whitened by rolling them on a bottle in this way, and 
then setting the bottle in the sun, in a dish of cold suds 
made with white soap, wetting it thoroughly, and changing 
the suds every day. Do this for a week or more ; then 
rinse in fair water ; dry it on the bottle in the sun, and stiff- 
en it with white gum-arabic. Lay it away in loose folds. 
Lace vails can be whitened by laying them in flat dishes, in 
suds made with white soap ; then rinsing, and stiffening 
them with gum-arabic, stretching them, and pinning them on 
a sheet to dry. 

ARTICLES TO BE PROVIDED FOR IRONING. 

Provide the following articles : A woolen ironing-blanket, 
and a linen or cotton sheet to spread over it ; a large fire, of 
charcoal and hard wood, (unless furnaces or stoves are used ;) 
a hearth free from cinders and ashes, a piece of sheet-iron in 
front of the fire, on which to set the irons while heating ; 
(this last saves many black spots from careless ironers;) 
three or four holders, made of woolen, and covered with old 
silk, as these do not easily take fire ; two iron-rings or iron- 
stands, on which to set the irons, and small pieces of board 



118 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

to put under them, to prevent scorching the sheet ; linen or 
cotton wipers ; and a piece of bees-wax, to rub on the irons 
when they are smoked. There should be at least three 
irons for each person ironing, and a small and large clothes- 
frame, on which to air the fine and coarse clothes. It is a 
great saving of space as well as labor to have a clothes-frame 
made with a large number of slats, on which to hang clothes. 
Then have it fastened to the wall, and, when not used, push- 
ed flat against the wall. Any carpenter can understand 
how to make this. 

A bosom-board, on which to iron shirt-bosoms, should be 
made, one foot and a half long and nine inches wide, and cov- 
ered with white flannel. A skirt-board, on which to iron 
frock-skirts, should be made, five feet long and two feet wide 
at one end, tapering to one foot and three inches wide at the 
other end. This should be covered with flannel, and will 
save much trouble in ironing nice dresses. The large end 
may be put on the table, and the other on the back of a 
chair. Both these boards should have cotton covers made 
to fit them, and these should be changed and washed when 
dirty. These boards are often useful when articles are to 
be ironed or pressed in a chamber or parlor, and where 
economy of space is needful, they may be hung to a wall or 
door by loops on the covers. Provide, also, a press-board, 
for broadcloth, two feet long and four inches wide at one 
end, tapering to three inches wide at the other. 

If the lady of the house will provide all these articles, see 
that the fires are properly made, the ironing-sheets evenly 
put on and properly pinned, the clothes-frames dusted, and 
all articles kept in their places, she will do much toward se- 
curing good ironing. 

ox SPRTNIvLING, FOLDIXG, AND IRONING. 

Wipe the dust from the ironing-board, and lay it down, to 
receive the clothes, which should be sprinkled with clear 
and warm water, and laid in separate piles, one of colored, 
one of common, and one of fine articles, and one of flannels. 
Fold the fine things, and roll them in a towel, and then fold 
the rest, turning them all right side outward. The colored 



WASHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. 119 

clothes should be laid separate from the rest, and ought not 
to lie long damp, as it injures the colors. The sheets and 
table-linen should be shaken, stretched, and folded by two 
persons. 

Iron lace and needle work on the wrong side, and carry 
them away as soon as dry. Iron calicoes with irons which 
are not very hot, and generally on the right side, as they 
thus keep clean for a longer time. In ironing a frock, first 
do the waist, then the sleeves, then the skirt. Keep tlie 
skirt rolled while ironing the other parts, and set a chair, 
to hold the sleeves while ironing the skirt, unless a skirt- 
board be used. In ironing a shirt, first do the back, then 
the sleeves, then the collar and bosom, and then the front. 
Iron silk on the wrong side, when quite damp, with an iron 
which is not very hot, as light colors are apt to change and 
fade. Iron velvet by turning up the face of the iron, and 
after dampening the wrong side of the velvet, draw it over 
the face of the iron, holding it straight and not biased. 

TO WHITEN ARTICLES, AND REMOVE STAINS FROM THEil. 

Wet white clothes in suds, and lay them on the grass, in 
the sun. It will save from grass stain, to have a clean 
white cloth under the articles to be whitened. Lay muslins 
in suds made with white soap, in a flat dish ; set this in the 
sun, changing the suds every day. Whiten tow -cloth or 
brown linen by keeping it in lye through the night, laying 
it out in the sun, and wetting it with fair water, as fast as 
it dries. 

Scorched articles can often be whitened again by laying 
them in the sun, w^et with suds. Where this does not an- 
swer, put a pound of white soap in a gallon of milk, and boil 
the article in it. Another method is, to chop and extract 
the juice from two onions, and boil this with half a pint of 
vinegar, an ounce of white soap, and two ounces of fuller's 
earth. Spread this, when cool, on the scorched part, and, 
when dry, w^ash it off in fair water. Mildew may be re- 
moved by dipping the article in sour buttermilk, laying it 
in the sun, and, after it is white, rinsing it in fair water. 
Soap and chalk are also good; also, soap and starch, adding 



120 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

half as much salt as there is starch, together with the juice 
of a lemon. Stains in linen can often be removed by rub- 
bing on soft soap, then putting on a starch paste and drying 
in the sun, renewing it several times. Wash off all the soap 
and starch in cold fair water. 

MIXTURES FOR REMOVING STAINS AND GREASE. 

Stain Mixture. — Half an ounce of oxalic acid in a pint of soft water. This 
can be kept in a corked bottle and is infallible in removing iron-rust and ink- 
stains. It is very poisonous. The article must be spread with this mixture 
over the steam of hot water, and wet several times. This will also remove 
indelible ink. The article must be washed, or the mixture will injure it. 

Another Stain-Mixture is made by mixing one ounce of sal ammoniac, 
one ounce of salt of tartar, and one pint of soft water. 

To remove Grease. — Mix four ounces of fullers earth, half an ounce of 
pearlash, and lemon-juice enough to make a stiff paste, which can be dried 
in balls, and kept for use. Wet the greased spot with cold water, rub it with 
the ball, dry it, and then rinse it with fair cold water. This is for white ar- 
ticles. For silks and worsteds use French chalk, which can be procured of 
the apothecaries. That which is soft and white is best. Scrape it on the 
greased spot, under side, and let it lie for a day and night. Then brush off 
that used, and renew it till the spot disappears. Wilmington clay-balls are 
equally good. Ink-spots can often be removed from white clothes by rubbing 
on common tallow, leaving it for a day or two, and then washing as usual. 
Grease can be taken out of wall-paper by making a paste of potter's clay, wa- 
ter, and ox-gall, and spreading it on the paper. When dr}-, renew it, till the 
spot disappears. 

Stains on floors, from soot or stove-pipes^ can be removed by washing the 
spot in sulphuric acid and water. Stains in colored silk dresses can often be 
removed by pure water. Those made by acids, tea, wine, and fruits can oft- 
en be removed by spirits of hartshorn, diluted with an equal quantity of wa- 
ter. Sometimes it must be repeated several times. 

Tar, Pitch, and Turpentine can be removed by putting the spot in sweet- 
oil, or by spreading tallow on it, and letting it remain for twenty-four hours. 
Then, if the article be linen or cotton, wash it as usual ; if it be silk or worst- 
ed, rub it with ether or spirits of wine. 

Lamp-Oil can be removed from floors, carpets, and other articles by spread- 
ing upon the stain a paste made of fuller's earth or potter's clay, brushing off 
and renewing it, when dry, till the stain is removed. If gall be put into the 
paste, it will preserve the colors from injury. When the stain has been re- 
moved, carefully brush off the paste with a soft brush. 



WASHING, IRONING, AND CLEANSING. 121 

Oil-Paint can be removed by rubbing it with very pure spirits of turpentine. 
The impure spirits leave a grease-spot. Wax can be removed by scraping it 
off, and then holding a red hot poker near the spot. Spermaceti may be re- 
moved by scraping it off, then putting a paper over the spot, and applying a 
warm iron. If this does not answer, rub on spirits of wine. 

Ink-Stains in cai*pets and woolen table-covers can be removed by washing 
the spot in a liquid composed of one tea-spoonful of oxalic acid dissolved in a 
tea-cupful of warm (not hot) water, and then rinsing in cold water. When 
ink is first spilled on a woolen carpet, pour on water immediately, and sop it 
up several times, and no stain will be made. Often on other articles, a stream 
of cold water poured on the under side of the ink-spot will so dilute the ink 
that it can be rubbed out in cold water. 

Stains on Varnished Articles, which are caused by cups of hot water, can 
be removed by nibbing them with lamp-oil, and then with alcohol. Ink-stains 
can be taken out of mahogany by one tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol mixed with 
one table-spoonful of water, or by oxalic acid and water. These must be 
brushed over quickly, and then washed off with milk. 

Silk Handkerchiefs and Ribbons can be cleansed by using French chalk 
to take out the grease, and then sponging them on both sides with lukewarm 
fair water. Stiffen them with gum-arabic, and press them between white pa- 
per, with an iron not very hot. A table-spoonful of spirits of wine to three 
quarts of water improves it. 

Silk Hose or Silk Gloves should be washed in warm suds made with Avhite 
soap, and rinsed in cold water ; they should then be stretched and rubbed 
with a hard-rolled flannel, till they are quite dry. Ironing them veiy much 
injures their looks. Wash-leather articles should have the gi'ease removed 
from them by French chalk or magnesia ; they should then be washed in 
warm suds, and rinsed in cold water. Light Kid Gloves should have the 
grease removed from them, and then wash them on the hands with borax wa- 
ter and soft flannel — a tea-spoonful to a tumbler of water. Then stretch and 
press them. Dark Kid Gloves wash in the same way. 

6 



122 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER XXIIL 

MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE AND EECIPES. 

How to keep cool in Hot Weather. — Sit in a room covered with matting 
or without any carpet, and keep the floor wet with pure water and a water- 
ing-pot. In hot nights, place a double wet sheet on the bed and a woolen 
blanket over it, and it will cool the bed which is heated through the day, and 
does not cool as fast as the evening air. A hot bed is often the cause of 
sleeplessness. Wear wristlets and anklets of wet flannel. Shut all doors 
and windows early in the moniing to keep in cool air, and let in air only 
through windows that are on the shady side of the house. If chambers open 
upon the hot roofs of piazzas or porticoes, cover them with clean straw or hay, 
and wet them with a watering-pot. In all these cases, the heat is taken from 
the air and from all surrounding things by the absorption of heat as the wa- 
ter changes to vapor. 

Indelible Ink. — Put six cents' worth of lunar caustic in a small phial, and 
fill with rain-water. To prepare the cloth, put a great-spoonful of gum-ara- 
bic into a larger bottle, with a drachm of salt of tartar, fill with water, and, 
when dissolved, wet the cloth, and press it smooth with a warm (not hot) iron. 
Put the articles, when marked, in the sun. 

To preserve Eggs. — Pack eggs in a jar small end downward, and then pour 
in a mixture of four quarts of slacked lime, two table-spoonfuls of cream tar- 
tar, and two of salt. This will cover about nine dozen for several months. 

To prevent Earthen, Glass, and Iron Ware from being easily broken. — Put 
them in cold water, and heat till boiling, and cool gradualh'. 

A good Cement for broken Earthen and Glass. — Mix Russian isinglass in 
white brandy, forming a thick jelly when cool. Strain and cork. When us- 
ing it, rub it on the broken edges, and hold them together three or four min- 
utes. 

To keep Knives from Rust and other Injury. — Rub bright, and wrap in 
thick brown paper. Never let knife-handles lie in water, and do not let their 
blades stay in very hot water, as the heat expands the iron, and makes handles 
crack. 

To cleanse or renovate Furniture. — White spots on furniture remove by 
camphene, or sometimes by oil or spirits of turpentine. Remove mortar- 



MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE AND RECIPES. 123 

spots with warm vinegar, and paint-spots with camphene or burning-fluid. 
Powdered pumice-stone is better than sand to clean paint. To polish unvar- 
nished furniture, rub on two ounces of bees-wax, half an ounce of alconet 
root, melted together, and, when cooled, two ounces of spirits of wine, and 
half a pint of spirits of turpentine. 

To clean Silver. — Wet whiting with liquid hartshorn, and this will remove 
black spots. Or boil half an ounce of pulverized hartshorn in a pint of water, 
and pour it into rags, diy them, and use to cleanse silver. Polish with wash- 
leather. 

To cleanse Wall-Paper. — Wipe with a clean pillow-case on a broom, and 
brush gently. Rub bad spots with soft bread-crumbs gently. 

To Purify a Well. — Get out the water, and then put in three or four quarts 
of quick-lime. Any well long unused should be thus cleansed. 

How to treat Roses and other Plants. — Water them daily with water steep- 
ed in wood-ashes. To destroy slugs, scatter ashes over the plant at night 
before the dew falls, or before a coming shower. Water all plants with wash- 
ing-day suds, and it makes them flourish. Scatter salt in gravel-walks to 
get out grass and weeds. Use old brine for this purpose. Use saw^-dust to 
manure plants ; also wood-ashes ; even that used to make lye is good. 

Easy Way to keep Grapes.— When not dead ripe, have them free from 
dampness, take out the decayed, and wrap each bunch in cotton, putting only 
two layers in a box. Keep in a dry, cool room, where they will not freeze. 

Snow for Eggs.— Two table-spooufuls of snow strewed in quickly, and baked 
immediately, is equal to one Qgg in puddings or pan- cakes. 

Paper to keep Preserves.— Soft paper dipped in the white of an egg is the 
best cover for jellies and pickles. Turn it over the rim. 

To make Butter cool in hot Weather.— Set it on a bit of brick, cover with a 
flower-pot, and wrap a wet cloth around the pot. The evaporation cools it as 
well as ice. 

To stop Cracks in Iron.— Mix ashes and common salt and a little water, 
and fill the cracks. 

To stop Creaking Hinges.— Put on oil. 

To stop Creaking Doors and make Drawers slide easily.— Rub on hard 
soap. 

To renovate Black Silk.— Wash in cold tea or coffee, with a little sugar in 
them. Put in a little ink if very rusty. Drain and do not wring, and iron 
3n the WTong side. 



124 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE.» 

Another Way to clean Kid Gloves. — Rub them lightly with benzine, and, as 
they diy, with pearl-powder. Expose to the air to remove the smell. 

To remove Grease-Spots. — Put an ounce of powdered borax to a quart of 
boihng water. Wash with this, and keep it corked for further use. 

To get rid of Rats and Mice. — A cat is the best remedy. Another is to 
half fill a tub with water, and sprinkle oats and meal on the top. For a while 
they will be deceived, jump in, and be drowned or caught. 

ODDS AND ENDS. 

There are certain odds and ends where every housekeeper 
will gain much by having a regular time to attend them. Let 
this time be the last Saturday forenoon in every month, or 
any other time more agreeable ; but let there be a regular 
fixed time once a month in which the housekeeper will attend 
to the following things : 

First. Go around to every room, drawer, and closet in the 
house, and see what is out of order, and what needs to be 
done, and make arrangements as to time and manner of 
doing it. 

Second. Examine the store-closet, and see if there is a prop- 
er supply of all articles needed there. 

Third. Go to the cellar, and see if the salted provision, 
vegetables, pickles, vinegar, and all other articles stored in 
the cellar are in proper order, and examine all the preserves 
and jellies. 

Fourth. Examine the trunk or closet of family linen, and 
see what needs to be repaired and renewed. 

Fifth. See if there is a supply of dish-towels, dish-cloths, 
bags, holders, floor-cloths, dust-cloths, wrapping-paper, twine, 
lamp-wicks, and all other articles needed in kitchen work. 

Sixth. Count over the spoons, knives, and forks, and ex- 
amine all the various household utensils, to see what need re- 
placing, and what should be repaired. 

Seventh. Have in a box a hammer, tacks, pincers, gimlets, 
nails, screws, screw-driver, small saw, and two sizes of chisele 
for emergencies when no regular workman is at hand. Alsc 
be prepared to set glass. Every lady should be able in era 
ergency to do such jobs herself 



MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE AND RECIPES. 125 

A housekeeper who will have a regular time for attending 
to these particulars will find her whole family machinery 
moving easily and well ; but one who does not will con- 
stantly be finding something out of joint, and an unquiet, 
secret apprehension of duties left undone or forgotten, which 
no other method will so efiectually remove. 

A housekeeper will often be much annoyed by the accumu- 
lation of articles not immediately needed, that must be saved 
for future use. The following method, adopted by a thrifty 
housekeeper, may be imitated with advantage. She bought 
some cheap calico, and made bags of various sizes, and wrote 
the following labels with indelible ink on a bit of broad tape, 
and sewed them on one side of the bags: Old Linens^ Old 
Cottons^ Old black Silks, Old colored Silks, Old Stockiiigs, 
Old colored Woolens, Old Flannels, New Linen, Keio Cotton, 
Neio WooUns, Neio Silks, Pieces of Dresses, Pieces of Boys'' 
Clothes, etc. These bags were hung around a closet, and 
filled with the above articles, and then it was known where 
to look for each, and where to put each when not in use. 

Another excellent plan, for the table, is for a housekeeper 
once a month to make out a hill of fare for the four weeks 
to come. To do this, let her look over this book, and find out 
what kind of dishes the season of the year and her own stores 
will enable her to provide, and then make out a list of the 
dishes she will provide through the month, so as to have an 
agreeable variety for breakfast, dinners, and suppers. Some 
systematic arrangement of this kind at regular periods will 
secure great comfort and enjoyment to a family, and prevent 
that monotonous round so common in many families. 



PAET SECOND. 

CHAPTER I. 

NEEDFUL SCIENCE AND TRAINING FOR THE FAMILY STATE. 

That women need as much and even more scientific and 
practical training for their appropriate business than men, 
arises from the fact that they must perform duties quite as 
difficult and important, and a much greater variety of them. 
A man usually selects only one branch of business for a pro- 
fession, and, after his school education, secures an apprentice- 
ship of years to perfect his practical skill ; and thus a success 
is attained which would be impossible were he to practice 
various trades and professions. 

'Now let us notice what science and training are needed 
for the various and difficult duties that are demanded of 
woman in her ordinary relations as wife, mother, housekeep- 
er, and the mistress of servants. 

First, the department of a housekeeper demands some 
knowledge of all the arts and sciences connected with the 
proper coiistruction of a family dwelling. 
# In communities destitute of intelligent artisans, a widow, 
or a woman whose husband has not time or ability to direct, 
on building a house, would need for guidance the leading- 
principles of architecture, pneumatics, hydrostatics, calorifica- 
tion, and several other connected sciences, in order to secure 
architectural beauty, healthful heating and ventilation, and 
the economical and convenient arrangements for labor and 
comfort. A housekeeper properly instructed in these prin- 
ciples would know how to secure chimneys that will not 
smoke, the most economical furnaces and stoves, and those 
that will be sure to " draw." She would know how dampers 
and air-boxes should be placed and regulated, how to pre- 
vent or remedy gas escapes, leaking water-pipes, poisonous 



128 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

recession of sewers, slamming shutters, bells that will not 
ring, blinds that will not fasten, and doors that will not lock 
or catch. She will understand about ball-cocks, and high 
and low pressure on water-pipes and boilers, and many oth- 
er mysteries which make a woman the helpless victim of 
plumbers and other jobbers often as blundering and ignorant 
as herself. She would know what kind of wood-work saves 
labor, how to prevent its shrinkage, when to use paint, and 
what kind is best, and many other details of knowledge need- 
ed in circumstances to which any daughter of wealth is lia- 
ble : knowledge which could be gained with less time and 
labor than is now given in public schools to geometry and 
algebra. 

On supposition of a yard and gardeyi^ with young boys 
and domestic animals under her care, she would need the 
first principles of landscape gardening, floriculture, horticul- 
ture, fruit culture, and agriculture ; also, the fitting and fur- 
nishing of accommodations and provision for domestic ani- 
mals. And to gain this knowledge would demand less time 
than young girls often give to picking pretty flowers to 
pieces and saying hard names over them, or storing them in 
herbariums never used. And yet botany might be so taught 
as to be practically useful. 

Next, in selecting furniture^ a woman so instructed would 
know when glue and nails are improperly used instead of 
the needed dovetailing and mortising. She would know 
when drawers, tables, and chairs were properly made, ani 
when brooms, pots, saucepans, and coal-scuttles would last 
well and do proper service. She would know the best col- 
ors and materials for carpets, curtains, bed and house linen, 
and numerous other practical details as easily learned as the 
construction of " bivalves " and " multivalves," and other 
particulars in natural history now studied, and, being of no 
practical use, speedily forgotten. 

Next, in the ornamentation of a house, she will need the 
general principles that guide in the making or selection of 
pictures, statuary, in drawing, painting, music, and all the 
fine arts that render a home so beautiful and attractive. 

Next comes ail involved in the cleansing^ neatiiess^ and 



NEEDFUL SCIENCE AND TRAINING. 129 

order of houses filled with sofas, ottomans, curtains, pictures, 
musical instruments, and all the varied collection of beauti- 
ful and frail ornaments or curiosities so common. Every 
girl should be taught to know the right and the wrong way 
of protecting or cleansing every article, from the rich picture- 
frames and frescoes to the humblest crockery and stew-pan. 
And this would include much scientific knowledsre as well 
as practical training. 

Next comes the selection of healthful food ^ the proper care 
of it, and the most economical and suitable modes of cook- 
ing. Here are demanded the first principles of physiology, 
animal chemistry, and domestic hygiene, with the practical 
applications. Thus instructed, the housekeeper will know 
the good or bad condition of meats, milk, bread, butter, and 
all groceries. And a class could be taken to a market or 
grocery for illustration, as easily as to a museum or the field 
for illustrations of mineralogy or botany. All this should 
be done before a young girl has the heavy responsibilities of 
housekeeper, wife, mother, and nurse. The art of cookery, 
in all its departments, has received more attention than any 
other domestic duty in former days ; but at the present time 
no systematic mode is devised for training a young girl to 
superintend and instruct servants in this complicated duty, 
on which the health and comfort of a family so much depend. 

Next, in providing family clothing and in the care of 
household stuffs, she will know how to do and to teach in 
the best manner plain sewing, hemming, darning, mending, 
and the use of a sewing-machine, thus cultivating ingenuity, 
dexterity, and common sense in judging the best way of do- 
ing things and deciding what is worth doing and what is 
not. She will exercise good taste and good judgment in 
dress for herself and family, in the selection of materials, in 
the adaptation of colors and fashion to age, shape, and em- 
ployments, and in the avoidance of nnhealthful and absurd 
fashions ; and she will have such knowledge of domestic 
chemistry as is needed in the cleansing, dyeing, and preser- 
vation of household clothing and stuffs. 

Next comes all involved in the care of health. This again 
involves the first principles of animal and domestic chemis- 

6* 



130 THE IIOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

try, hydrostatics, pneumatics, caloric, light, electricity, and 
especially hygiene and therapeutics. A housekeeper in- 
structed ill these will have pure water, pure air, much sun- 
light, beds and clothes well cleansed, every arrangement for 
cleanliness and comfort, and all that tends to prevent disease 
or retard its first approaches. And her knowledge and skill 
she will transmit to the children and servants under her 
care, while the dumb animals of her establishment will share 
in the blessings secured by her scientific knowledge and 
trained skill. 

Next comes the care of family expenses in all departments 
of economy, and in which science and training are also de- 
manded : to this add the enforcement of system and order, 
hospitalities to relatives, friends, and the homeless, the claims 
of society as to calls, social gatherings, the sick, the poor, be- 
nevolent associations, school and religious duties. 

Not the least of the onerous duties of a housekeeper is 
the trainins: and s:overnraent of servcmts of all kinds of dis- 
positions, habits, nationalities, and religions. 

All these multiplied and diverse duties are demanded of 
every woman, whether married or single, who becomes mis- 
tress of a house. 

The distinctive duties of icife and mother are such that 
both science and training are of the greatest consequence, 
and a dreadful amount of suffering has resulted from want 
of such proper instruction. One of the most important of 
these duties is the care of new-born infants and their moth- 
ers. Thousands of young infants perish and young mothers 
are made sufferers for life for want of science and training 
in the mothers and monthly nurses. 

Then the helpers in the nursery have a daily control of 
the safety, health, temper, and morals of young children ; 
and a conscientious, careful, affectionate woman, instructed 
in the care of health and remedies for sudden accidents, is 
a rare treasure. These arduous duties are now extensively 
given to the inexperienced and the ignorant. It is a mourn- 
ful fact that more science and care are given by professional 
trainers to the offspring of horses, cows, sheep, and hogs, 
than to the larger portion of children of the American peo- 



NEEDFUL SCIENCE ANI> TRAINING. 131 

pie. Thus comes the fact that the mortality of the human 
offspring greatly exceeds that of the lower animals. 

The most difficult and important duties of a woman are 
those of an educator in the family and the school. In the 
nurser}'-, children are taught the care of their bodies, the use 
of language, the nature and properties of the world around 
them, and many social and moral duties, all before books 
are used. Then it is a mother's duty to select the school- 
teacher, and so to supervise, that health and intellectual 
training shall be duly secured. To this add the duties of 
training and controlling the helpers in the nursery and 
kitchen, and to a housekeeper and mother the duties of an 
educator stand first on the roll of responsibilities. 

But the most weighty of all human responsibilities that 
rest upon every housekeeper, whether mother or only mis- 
tress of servants, are those which are consequent on the dis- 
tinctive teachings of Jesus Christ ; for, as the general rule, 
it is the mistress who is the chief minister of religion in the 
family state. 

And this is the age above all the past, when all the foun- 
dations of religious faith are being undermined, and all the 
most important principles of morals assailed. What is the 
conscientious woman to do, when the truth and authority of 
the Bible, the doctrine of immortality after death, and even 
the existence of a God, are attacked, not only in newspapers 
and books, but even in respectable pulpit ministries? Sure- 
ly, if she is to be prepared by culture, argument, and reflec- 
tion for any of her many responsibilities, it is for those she 
is to bear as the religious educator of the family state. This 
topic will be referred to more definitely in the chapters on 
the Training of Children and Care of Servants, and in a note 
at the close of this volume. 

It is for want of facilities for the proper scientific training 
of women for these multiform duties that they are so gener- 
ally not educated to be healthy, or economical, or industri- 
ous, or properly qualified to be iappy wives, or to train chil- 
dren and servants, or to preserve health in families and 
schools, or to practice a wise economy in the various depart- 
ments of the family state. It is for want of such scientific 



132 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

training that the most important duties of the family, being 
disgraced and undervalued, are forsaken by the cultivated 
and refined, and, passing to the unskilled and vulgar, secure 
neither lionorable social position nor liberal rewards. The 
poorest teacher of music, drawing, or French has higher po- 
sition and reward than those who perform the most scientific, 
sacred, and difficult duties of the family state. 

The true remedy for this state of things is to provide as 
liberally for the scientific training of woman for her profes- 
sion as men have provided for theirs. A wide-spread at- 
tempt is organizing for the establishment of institutions to 
cover this very ground of educating woman for the specific 
duties of her profession. But there are many thousands who 
are already beyond the reach of such instruction, and thou- 
sands of others who could never avail themselves of it ; and 
certain it is, that a gathering together, in a compact volume 
like the present one, of many facts and ideas bearing upon 
these all-important topics, will be of great advantage to read- 
ers, especially in remote districts, far from the conveniences 
of cities. 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



133 




CHAPTER II. 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 

At the head of this chapter is a sketch of what may be 
properly called a Christian house ; that is, a house contrived 
for the express purpose of enabling every member of a fam- 
ily to labor with the hands for the common good, and by 
modes at once healthful, economical, and tasteful. 

In the following drawings are presented modes of econ- 
omizing time, labor, and expense by the dose packing of con- 
veniences. By such methods, small and economical houses 



134 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



Fiir. T. 



43 X 25 

INSIDE 



10 FEET 
FROM FLOOR TO CEILING 




can be made to secure most of the comforts and many of 
the refinements of large and expensive ones. The cottage 
at the head of this chapter is projected on a plan which can 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



135 




r^ 






be adapted to a warm or cold climate — m^.s 

with little change. .By adding another 

story, it would serve a large family. 
Fig. V shows the ground-plan of the 

first floor, the proportions being marked. 

in the drawing. The piazzas each side 

of the front projection have sliding-win- 

dows to the floor, and can, l?y glazed 

sashes, be made greenhouses in winter. 

In a warm climate, piazzas can be made 

at the back side also. 

The leading aim is to show how time, 

labor, and expense are saved, not only 

in the building, but in furniture and its 

arrangement. The conservatories are 

appendages not necessary to house- 
keeping, but useful in many ways. ^ 

The entry has arched recesses behind the front doors, (Fig. 

8,) furnished with hooks for over-clothes in both — a box for 

overshoes in one, 
and a stand for um- 
brellas in the other. 
The roof of the re- 
cess is for statu- 
ettes, busts, or flow- 
ers. The stairs turn 
twice with broad 
steps, making a re- 
cess at the lower 
landing, where a ta- 
ble is set with a vase 
of flowers, (Fig. 9.) 
On one side of the 
recess is a closet, 
arched to corre- 
spond with the arch 
over the stairs. A 
bracket over the 
LANDING first broad stair. 



Fifr. 9. 




CLOSET RECESS 



136 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



with flowers or statuettes, is visible from the entrance, and 
pictures can be hung as in the drawing. 

The large room on the left can be made to serve the pur- 
pose of several rooms by means of a movable screen. By 
shifting this rolling screen from one part of the room to an- 
other, two apartments are always available, of any desired 
size within the limits of the large room. One side of the 
screen fronts what may be used for the parlor or sitting-room ; 
the other side is arranged for bedroom conveniences. Of 
this. Fig. 10 shows the front side; covered first with strong 

Fig. 10. 



CEi um 




ROLLERS 



R.OLLER& 



canvas, stretched and nailed on. Over this is pasted panel- 
paper, and the upper part is made to resemble an ornament- 
al cornice by fresco-paper. Pictures can be hung in the 
panels, or be pasted on and varnished with white varnish. 
To prevent the absorption of the varnish, a wash of gum 
isinglass (fish-glue) must be applied twice. 

Fig. 11 shows the back or inside of the movable screen, 
toward the part of the room used as the bedroom. On one 
side, and at the top and bottom, it has shelves with shelf- 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



137 



Fig. 11. 
CElLfNG 




aOLLEHS 



flQLL£/iS 



Fig. 12. 




hoxes^ which are cheaper and better than drawers, and much 

preferred by those using them. Handles are cut in the 

front and back side, as seen in Fig. 12. Half an inch space 

must be between the box and the 

shelf over it, and as much each 

side, so that it can be taken out 

and put in easily. The central 

part of the screen's interior is a 

wardrobe. 

This screen must be so high as nearly to reach the ceiling, 
in order to prevent it from overturning. It is to fill the 
width of the room, except two feet on each side. A project- 
ing cleat or strip, reaching nearly to the top of the screen, 
* three inches wide, is to be screwed to the front sides, on 
which light frame doors are to be hung, covered with canvas 
and panel-paper like the front of the screen. The inside of 
these doors is furnished with hook for clothing, for which 
the projection makes room. The whole screen is to be eight- 



138 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



een inches deep at the top and two feet deep at the base, 
giving a solid foundation. It is moved on four wooden roll- 
ers, one foot long and four inches in diameter. The pivots 
of the rollers and the parts where there is friction must be 
rubbed with hard soap, and then a child can move the whole 
easily. 

A curtain is to be hung across the whole interior of the 
screen by rings, on a strong wire. The curtain should be 
in three parts, with lead or large nails in the hems to keep 
it in place. The wood-work must be put together with 
screws, as the screen is too large to pass through a door. 

Ficr. 13. 




¥><!. 14. 



At the end of the room, behind the screen, are two couches, 
to be run one under the other, as in Fig. 13. The upper one 
is made with four posts, each three feet high and three inch- 
es square, set on casters two inches high. The frame is to 
be 'fourteen inches from the floor, seven feet long, two feet 
four inches wide, and three inches in thickness. At the head 

and at the foot is to be screwed a 
notched two- inch board, three inches 
wide, as in Fig. 14. The mortises are 
to be one inch wide and deep, and one 
inch apart, to receive slats made of ash, oak, or spruce, one 
inch square, placed lengthwise of the couch. The siats being 
small, and so near together, and running lengthwise, make a 
better spring frame than wire coils. If they warp, they can 
be turned. They must not be fastened at the ends, except 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



139 



by insertion in the notches. Across the posts, and of equal 
height with them, are to be screwed head and foot boards. 

The under couch is like the upper, except these dimen- 
sions: posts, nine inches high, including casters; frame, six 
feet two inches long, two feet four inches wide. The frame 
should be as near the floor as possible, resting on the casters. 

The most healthful and comfortable mattress is made by 
a case, open in the 
centre and fastened 
together with but- 
tons, as in Fig. 15; 
to be filled with oat 
straw, which is soft- 
er than wheat or rye. 
and often renewed. 



Tier. 15. 





This can be adjusted to the figure, 



Fig. 16 represents the upper couch when covered, and the 
under couch put beneath it. The cover-lid should match the 
curtain of the screen ; and the pillows, by day, should have a 
case of the same. 



Fi2r. 16, 



Fi-. IT. 





Fig. 17 is an ottoman, made as a box, with a lid on hinges. 
A cushion is fastened to this lid by strings at each corner, 
passing through holes in the box lid and tied inside. The 
cushion to be cut square, with side pieces ; stufled with hair, 
and stitched through like a mattress. Side handles are 
made by cords fastened inside with knots. The box must 
be two inches larger at the bottom than at the top, and the 
lid and cushion the same size as the bottom, to give it a 
tasteful shape. This ottoman is set on casters, and is a great 
convenience for holding articles, while serving also as a seat.. 

The expense of the screen, where lumber averages four 
dollars a hundred, and carpenter labor three dollars a day, 
would be about thirty dollars, and the two couches about 



140 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

six dollars. The material for covering might be cheap and 
yet pretty. A woman with these directions, and a son or 
husband who would use plane and saw, could thus secure 
much additional room, and also what amounts to two bu- 
reaus, two large trunks, one large wardrobe, and a wash- 
stand, for less than twenty dollars — the mere cost of mate- 
rials. The screen and couches can be so arranged as to have 
one room serve first as a large and airy sleeping-room; then, 
in the morning, it may be used as sitting-room one side of 
the screen, and breakfast-room the other; and lastly, through 
the day it can be made a large parlor on the front side, and 
a sewing or retiring-room the other side. The needless spaces 
usually devoted to kitchen, entries, halls, back-stairs, pan- 
tries, store-rooms, and closets, by this method would be used 
in adding to the size of the large room, so variously used by 
day and by night. 

Fig. 18 is an enlarged plan of the kitchen and stove-room. 
The chimney and stove-room are contrived to ventilate the 
whole house. 

Between the two rooms glazed sliding-doors, passing each 
other, serve to shut out heat and smells from the kitchen. 
The sides of the stove-room must be lined with shelves; 
those on the side by the cellar stairs, to be one foot wide and 
eighteen inches aj^art ; on the other side, shelves may be nar- 
rower, eight inches wide and nine inches apart. Boxes with 
lids, to receive stove utensils, must be placed near the stove. 

On these shelves, and in the closet and boxes, can be 
placed every material used for cooking, all the table and 
cooking utensils, and all the articles used in house-work, and 
yet much spare room will be left. The cook's galley in a 
steamship has every article and utensil used in cooking for 
two hundred persons, in a space not larger than this stove- 
room, and so arranged that with one or two steps the cook 
can reach all he uses. 

In contrast to this, in most large houses, the table furni- 
ture, the cooking materials and utensils, the sink, and the 
eating-room, are at such distances apart, that half the time 
and strength is employed in walking back and forth to col- 
lect and return the articles used. 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



Ul 



Fis. IS. 




DRAIN 



SINK 



KITCHEN 

9X9 




LANDING 



142 



THE HQUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



Fig. 19 is an enlarged plan of the sink and cooking-form. 
Two windows make a better circulation of air in warm 
weather, by having one open at top and the other at the 
bottom, while the light is better adjusted for working, in 
case of weak eyes. 



Fis. 19. 



CClLfNS 




The flour-barrel just fills the closet, which has a door for 
admission, and a lid to raise when used. Beside it is the 
form for cooking, with a molding - board laid on it ; one 
side used for preparing vegetables and meat, and the other 
for molding bread. The sink has two pumps, for well and 
for rain-water — one having a forcing power to throw water 
into the reservoir in the garret, which supplies the water- 
closet and bath-room. On the other side of the sink is the 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 143 

dish-drainer, with a ledge on the edge next the sink, to hold 
the dishes, and grooves cut to let the water drain into the 
sink. It has hinges, so that it can either rest on the cook- 
form or be turned over and cover the sink. Under the sink 
are shelf-boxes placed on two shelves run into grooves, with 
other grooves above and below, so that one may move the 
shelves and increase or diminish the spaces between. The 
shelfboxes can be used for scouring-materials, dish-towels, 
and dish-cloths; also to hold bowls for bits of butter, fats, 
etc. Under these two shelves is room for two pails, and a 
jar for soap-grease. 

Under the cook-form are shelves and shelf-boxes for un- 
bolted wheat, corn-meal, rye, etc. Beneath these, for white 
and brown sugar, are wooden can-pails, which are the best 
articles in which to keep these constant necessities. Beside 
them is the tin molasses-can with a tight, movable cover, 
and a cork in the spout. This is much better than a jug for 
molasses, and also for vinegar and oil, being easier to clean 
and to handle. Other articles and implements for cooking 
can be arranged on or under the shelves at the side and 
front. A small cooking-tray, holding pepper, salt, dredging- 
box, knife, and spoon, should stand Fig. 20. 

close at hand by the stove, (Fig. 20.) 

The articles used for setting ta- 
bles are to be placed on the shelves _j-^^^ 
at the front and side of the sink. 
Two tumbler-trays, made of pasteboard, covered with var- 
nished fancy papers and divided by wires, (as shown in Fig. 
21,) save many steps in setting and clearing table. Similar 

Fig. 21. Fig. 22. 





v 



K^A 



trays, (Fig. 22,) for knives and forks and spoons, serve the 
same purpose. The sink should be three feet long and three 
inches deep, its width matching the cook-form. 



144 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Fiu'. 23. 




Fig. 23 is the second or attic story. The main objection 
to attic rooms is their warmth in summer, owing to the 
heated roof. This is prevented by so enlarging the closets 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



145 




each side that their walls meet Fig. 24. 

the ceiling under the garret 
floor, thus excluding all or 
most of the roof. In the bed- 
chambers, corner dressing-ta- 
bles, as Fig. 24, instead of 
projecting bureaus, save much 
space for use, and give a hand- 
some form and finish to the 
room. In the bath-room must 
be the opening to the garret, 
and a step-ladder to reach it. 
A reservoir in the garret, sup- 
plied by a forcing-pump in the 
cellar or at the sink, must be 
well supported by timbers, and 
the plumbing must be well 
done, or much annoyance will ensue. 

The large chambers are to be lighted by large windows or 

glazed slidiHg-doors, opening upon the balcony. A roof can 

be put over the balcony and its sides inclosed by windows, 

and the chamber extend into it, and be thus much enlarged. 

The water-closets must have the latest improvements for 

safe discharge, and there will be no 
trouble. They will cost no more than 
an outdoor building, and they relieve 
one from the most disagreeable house- 
labor. 

A great improvement, called earth- 
closets^ will probably take the place 
of water-closets to some extent; 
though at present the water is the 
more convenient. 

The method of ventilating all the 
chambers, and also the cellar, will be 
described in another place. 

Fig. 25 represents a shoe-bag, that 
can be fastened to the side of a closet 
or closet-door. 

n 



F]>. 25. 




146 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



Fig. 26 represents a piece-bag, and is a very great labor 
and space-saving invention. It is made of calico, and fast- 
ened to the side of a closet or a door, to hold all the bun- 
dles that are usually stowed in trunks and drawers. India- 
rubber or elastic tape drawn into hems to hold the contents 



Fig. 26. 




of the bag is better than tape-strings. Each bag should be 
labeled with the name of its contents, written with indelible 
ink on white tape sewed on to the bag. Such systematic 
arrangement saves much time and annoyance. Drawers or 
trunks to hold these articles can not be kept so easily in 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 



147 



good order, and moreover, occupy spaces saved by this con- 



trivance. 



Fig. 27 is the basement. It has the floor and sides plas- 
tered, and is lighted with glazed doors. A form is raised 
close by the cellar stairs, for baskets, pails, and tubs. Here, 



Fio-. 27. 




also, the refrigerator can be placed, or, what is better, an ice- 
closet can be made, as designated in the illustration. The 
floor of the basement must be an inclined plane toward a 
drain, and be plastered with water-lime. The wash-tubs 
have plugs in the bottom to let off" water, and cocks and 



148 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

pipes over them bringing cold water from the reservoir in the 
frarret and hot water from the laundry stove. This saves 
much heavy labor of emptying tubs and carrymg water. 

The laundry closet has a stove for heating irons, and also 
a kettle on top for heating water. Slides or clothes-frames 
are made to draw out to receive wet clothes, and then run 
into the closet to dry. This saves health as well as time 
and money, and the clothes are as white as when dried out- 
doors. The entrance to the kitchen is either through the 
basement or through the eating-room windows, made to 
slide. 

The wood-work of the house, for doors, windows, etc., 
should be oiled chestnut, butternut, whitewood, and pine. 
This is cheaper, handsomer, amd more easy to keep clean 
than painted wood. 

In Fig. 7 are planned two conservatories, and few under- 
stand their value in the training of the young. They pro- 
vide soil, in which children, through the winter months, can 
be starting seeds and plants for their gardens and raising 
valuable, tender plants. Every child should cultivate flow- 
ers and fruits to sell and to give away, and thus be taught to 
learn the value of money, and to practice both economy and 
benevolence. 

According to the calculation of a house-carpenter, in a 
place where the average price of lumber is four dollars a 
hundred, and carpenter work three dollars a day, such a 
house can be built for sixteen hundred dollars. For those 
practicing the closest economy, two small families could oc- 
cupy it, by dividing the kitchen, and yet have room enough. 
Or one large room and the chamber over it can be left till 
increase of family and means require enlargement. 

A strong horse and carry-all, with a cow, garden, vineyard, 
and orchard, on a few acres, would secure all the substantial 
comforts found in great establishments, without the trouble 
of ill-qualified servants. 

And if the parents and children were united in the daily 
labors of the house, garden, and fruit culture, such thrift, 
health, and happiness would be secured as is but rarely found 
among the rich. 



A HEALTHFUL AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE. 149 

Let US suppose a colony of cultivated and Christian peo- 
ple, having abundant wealth, who now are living as the 
wealthy usually do, emigrating to some of the beautiful 
Southern uplands, where are rocks, hills, valleys, and mount- 
ains as picturesque as those of New-England, where the 
thermometer but rarely reaches 90° in summer, and in win- 
ter as rarely sinks below freezing-point, so that outdoor labor 
goes on all the year, where the fertile soil is easily worked, 
where rich tropical fruits and flowers abound, where cotton 
and silk can be raised by children around their home, where 
the produce of vineyards and orchards finds steady markets 
by railroads ready-made ; suppose such a colony, with a 
central church and school-room, library, hall for sports, and 
a common laundry, (taking the most trying part of domestic 
labor from each house) — suppose each family to train the 
children to labor with the hands as a healthful and honorable 
duty ; suppose all this, which is perfectly practicable, would 
not the enjoyment of this life be increased, and also abundant 
treasures be laid up in heaven, by using the wealth thus 
economized in diffusing similar enjoyments and culture among 
the poor, ignorant, and neglected ones in desolated sections 
where many now are perishing for want of such Christian 
example and influences ? 



150 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER III. 

ON HOME VENTILATION. 

When "the wise woman buildeth her house," the first 
consideration will be the health of the inmates. The first 
and most indispensable requisite fi3r health is pure air, both 
by day and night. 

If the parents of a family should daily withhold from their 
children a large portion of food needful to growth and health, 
and every night should administer to each a small dose of 
poison, it would be called murder of the most hideous char- 
acter. But it is probable that more than one half of this na- 
tion are doing that very thing. The murderous operation is 
perpetrated daily and nightly, in our parlors, our bedrooms, 
our kitchens, our school-rooms ; and even our churches are 
no asylum from the barbarity. Nor can we escape by our 
railroads, for even there the same dreadful work is going on. 

The only palliating circumstance is the ignorance of those 
who commit these wholesale murders. As saith the Scrip- 
ture, " The people do perish for lack of knowledge." And it 
is this lack of knowledge which it is woman's special busi- 
ness to supply. 

The above statements will be illustrated by some account 
of the manner in which the body is supplied with healthful 
nutriment. There are two modes of nourishing the body, 
one is by food and the other by air. In the stomach the 
food is dissolved, and the nutritious portion is absorbed by 
the blood, and then is carried by blood-vessels to the lungs, 
where it receives oxygen from the air we breathe. This 
oxygen is as necessary to the nourishment of the body as the 
food of the stomach. In a full-grown man weighing one 
hundred and fifty-four pounds, one hundred and eleven pounds 
consists of oxygen, obtained chiefly from the air we breathe. 
Thus the lungs feed the body with oxygen, as really as the 
stomach supplies the other food required. 



ON HOME VENTILATION. 



151 



The lungs occupy the upper por- Fie:. 28. 

tion of the body from the collar- 
bone to the lower ribs, and between 
their two lobes is placed the heart. 

Fig. 28 shows the position of the 
lungs, though not the exact shape. 
On the riojht hand is the exterior of 
one of the lobes, and on the left hand 
are seen the branching tubes of the 
interior, through which the air we 
breathe passes to the exceedingly 
minute air-cells of which the lungs 
chiefly consist. Fig. 29 shows the 
outside of a cluster of these air-cells, 
and Fig. 30 is the inside view. The 
lining membrane of each air-cell is 
covered by a net-work of minute 
blood-vessels called capillaries^ 
which, magnified several hundred times, appear in the mi- 
croscope as at Fig. 31. Every air-cell has a blood-vessel 
that brings blood from the heart, which meanders through 




Fi";. 29. 



Fig:. 30. 



Fltr. 31. 




its capillaries till it reaches another blood-vessel that carries 
it back to the heart, as seen in Fig. 32. In this passage of 
the blood through these capillaries, the air in the air-cell im- 
parts its oxygen to the blood, and receives in exchange car- 
bonic acid and watery vapor which are expired at every 
breath into the atmosphere. 

By calculating the number of air-cells in a small portion 
of the lungs, under a microscope, it is ascertained that there 



152 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



i^ig-22. are no less than eighteen millions of 

these wonderful little purifiers and feed- 
ers of the body. By their ceaseless min- 
istries, every grown person receives, each 
day, thirty- three hogsheads of air into the 
lungs to nourish and vitalize every part 
of the body, and also to carry off its im- 
purities. 

But the heart has a most important 
agency in this operation. Fig. 33 is a 
diagram of the heart, which is placed be- 
tween the two lobes of the lungs. The 
right side of the heart receives the dark 
and impure blood, which is loaded with 
carbonic acid. It is brought from every 
point of the body by branching veins 
that unite in the upper and the lower 
vena cava, which discharge into the right 
side of the heart. This impure blood passes to the capillaries 
of the air-cells in the lungs, where it gives off carbonic acid, 
and, taking oxygen from the air, then returns to the left side 
of the heart, from 

Aorta. 




Figr. 33. 



whence it is sent 
out through the aor- 
ta and its myriad 
branching arteries to 
every part of the 
body. 

When the upper 
portion of the heart 
contracts, it forces 
both the pure blood 
from the lungs, and 
the impure blood 
from the body, 
through the valves 
marked Y, V, into 
the lower part. 
When the lower por- 



Fpper Vena 




ON HOME VENTILATION. 153 

tion contracts, it closes the valves and forces the impure 
blood into the lungs on one side, and also on the other side 
forces the purified blood through the aorta and arteries to 
all parts of the body. 

As before stated, the lungs consist chiefly of air-cells, the 
walls of which are lined with minute blood-vessels ; and Ave 
know that in every man these" air-cells number eighteen mill- 
ions. 

Now every beat of the heart sends two ounces of blood 
into the minute, hair-like blood-vessels, called capillaries, 
that line these air-cells, where the air in the air-cells gives 
its oxygen to the blood, and in its place receives carbonic 
acid. This gas is then expired by the lungs into the sur- 
rounding atmosphere. 

Thus, by this powerful little organ, the heart, no less than 
twenty-eight pounds of blood, in a common-sized man, is 
sent three times every hour through the lungs, giving out 
carbonic acid and watery vapor, and receiving the life-in- 
spiring oxygen. 

Whether all this blood shall convey the nourishing and 
invigorating oxygen to every part of the body, or return 
unrelieved of carbonic acid, depends entirely on the pureness 
of the atmosphere that is breathed. 

Every time we think or feel, this mental action dissolves 
some particles of the brain and nerves, which pass into the 
blood to be thrown out of the body through the lungs and 
skin. In like manner, whenever we move any muscle, some 
of its particles decay and pass away. It is in the capillaries, 
which are all over the body, that this change takes place. 
The blood-vessels that convey the pure blood from the heart 
divide into myriads of little branches that terminate in 
capillary vessels like those lining the air-cells of the lungs. 
The blood meanders through these minute capillaries, de- 
positing the oxygen taken from the lungs and the food of 
the stomach, and receiving in return the decayed matter, 
which is chiefly carbonic acid. 

This carbonic acid is formed by the union of oxygen with 
carbon or charcoal, which forms a large portion of the food. 
Watery vapor is also formed in the capillaries by the 



154 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

union of oxygen with the hydrogen contained in the food 
and drink. 

During this process in the capillaries, the bright red blood 
of the arteries changes to the purple blood of the veins, 
which is carried back to the heart, to be sent to be purified 
in the lungs as before described. A portion of the oxygen 
received in the lungs unites with the dissolved food sent 
from the stomach into the blood, and no food can nourish 
the body till it has received a proper supply of oxygen in 
the lungs. At every breath a half-pint of blood receives its 
needed oxygen in the lungs, and at the same time gives out 
an equal amount of carbonic acid and water. 

Now this carbonic acid, if received into the lungs undi- 
luted by sufficient air, is a fatal poison, causing certain death. 
When it is mixed with only a small portion of air, it is a 
slow poison, which imperceptibly undermines the constitu- 
tion. 

We now can understand how it is that all who live in 
houses where the breathing of inmates has deprived the air 
of oxygen, and loaded it with carbonic acid, may truly be 
said to be poisoned and starved; poisoned with carbonic 
acid, and starved for want of oxygen. 

Whenever oxygen unites with carbon to form carbonic 
acid, or with hydrogen to form water, heat is generated. 
Thus it is that a kind of combustion is constantly going on 
in the capillaries all over the body. It is this burning of the 
decaying portions of the body that causes animal heat. It is 
a process similar to that which takes place when lamps and 
candles are burning. The oil and tallow, which are chiefly 
carbon and hydrogen, unite with the oxygen of the air and 
form carbonic acid and watery vapor, producing heat during 
the process. .So in the capillaries all over the body, the car- 
bon and hydrogen supplied to the blood by the food unite 
with the oxygen gained in the lungs, and cause the heat 
which is diffused all over the body. 

The skin also performs an office similar to that of the 
lungs. In the skin of every adult there are no less than seven 
million minute perspirating tubes, each one-fourth of an inch 
long. If all these were united in one length, they would ex- 



ON HOilE VENTILATION. 155 

tend twenty-eight miles. These minute tubes are lined with 
capillary blood-vessels, which are constantly sending out not 
only carbonic acid, but other gases and particles of decayed 
matter. The skin and lungs together, in one day and night, 
throw out three-quarters of a pound of charcoal as carbonic 
acid, besides other gases and water. 

While the bodies of men and animals are fillingr the air 
with the poisonous carbonic acid, and using up the life-giv- 
ing oxygen, the trees and plants are performing an exactly 
contrary process; for they are absorbing carbonic acid and 
giving out oxygen. Thus, by a wonderful arrangement of 
the beneficent Creator, a constant equilibrium is preserved. 
"What animals use is provided by vegetables, and what veg- 
etables require is furnished by animals ; and all goes on, day 
and night, without care or thought of man. 

The human race in its infancy was placed in a mild and 
genial clime, where each separate family dwelt in tents, and 
breathed, both day and night, the pure air of heaven. And 
when they became scattered abroad to colder climes, the 
open fire-place secured a full supply of pure air. But civil- 
ization has increased economies and conveniences far ahead 
of the knowledge needed by the common people for their 
healthful use. Tight sleeping -rooms, and close, air-tight 
stoves, are now starving and poisoning more than one half 
of this nation. It seems impossible to make people know 
their danger. And the remedy for this is the light of knowl- 
edge and intelligence which it is woman's special mission to 
bestow, as she controls and regulates the ministries of a 
home. 

The poisoning process is thus exhibited in Mrs. Stowe's 
"House and Home Papers," and can not be recalled too 
often : 

*' No other gift of God, so precious, so inspiring, is treated 
with such utter irreverence and contempt in the calculations 
of us mortals as this same air of heaven. A sermon on oxy- 
gen, if we had a preacher who understood the subject, might 
do more to repress sin than the most orthodox discourse to 
show when and how and why sin came. A minister gets 
up in a crowded lecture-room, where the mephitic air almost 



156 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

makes the candles burn blue, and bewails the deadness of 
the church — the church the while, drugged by the poisoned 
air, growing sleepier and sleepier, though they feel dread- 
fully wicked for being so. 

" Little Jim, who, fresh from his afternoon's ramble in the 
fields, last evening said his prayers dutifully, and lay down 
to sleep in a most Christian frame, this morning sits up in 
bed with his hair bristling with crossness, strikes at his 
nurse, and declares he won't say his prayers — that he don't 
want to be good. The difierence is, that the child, having 
slept in a close box of a room, his brain all night fed by poi- 
son, is in a mild state of moral insanity. Delicate women 
remark that it takes them till eleven or twelve o'clock to 
get up their strength in the morning. Query, Do they sleep 
with closed windows and doors, and with heavy bed-cur- 
tains ? 

" The houses built by our ancestors were better ventilated 
in certain respects than modern ones, with all their improve- 
ments. The great central chimney, with its open fire-places 
in the difi*erent rooms, created a constant current which car- 
ried off foul and vitiated air. In these days, how common 
is it to provide rooms with only a flue for a stove ! This 
flue is kept shut in summer, and in winter opened only to 
admit a close stove, which burns away the vital portion of 
the air quite as fast as the occupants breathe it away. The 
sealing up of fire-places and introduction of air-tight stoves 
may, doubtless, be a saving of fuel ; it saves, too, nM)re than 
that ; in thousands and thousands of cases it has saved peo- 
ple from all further human wants, and put an end forever to 
any needs short of the six feet of narrow earth which are 
man's only inalienable property. In other w^ords, since the 
invention of air-tight stoves, thousands have died of slow 
poison. 

" It is a terrible thing to reflect upon, that our northern 
winters last from ISTovember to May, six long months, in 
which many families confine themselves to one room, of 
which every window -crack has been carefully calked to 
make it air-tight, where an air-tight stove keeps the atmos- 
phere at a temperature between eighty and ninety ; and the 



ox HOME VENTILATIOX. 157 

inmates, sitting there with all their winter clothes on, be- 
come enervated both by the heat, and by the poisoned air, 
for which there is no escape but the occasional opening of a 
door. 

" It is no wonder that the first result of all this is such a 
delicacy of skin and lungs that about half the inmates are 
obliged to give up going into the open air during the six 
cold months, because they invariably catch cold if they do 
so. It is no wonder that the cold caught about the first of 
December has by the first of March become a fixed con- 
sumption, and that the opening of the spring, which ought 
to bring life and health, in so many cases brings death. 

" We hear of the lean condition in which the poor bears 
emerge from their six months' wintering, during which they 
subsist on the fat which they have acquired the previous 
summer. Even so, in our long winters, multitudes of deli- 
cate people subsist on the daily waning strength which they 
acquired in the season when windows and doors were open, 
and fresh air was a constant luxury. No wonder we hear 
of spring fever and spring biliousness, and have thousands 
of nostrums for clearing the blood in the spring. All these 
things are the pantings and palpitations of a system run 
down under slow poison, unable to get a step farther. 

*' Better, far better, the old houses of the olden time, with 
their great roaring fires, and their bed -rooms where the 
snow came in and the wintry winds whistled. Then, to be 
sure, you froze your back while you burned your face, your 
water froze nightly in your pitcher, your breath congealed 
in ice-wreaths on the blankets, and you could write your 
name on the pretty snow-wreath that had sifted in through 
the window-cracks. But you woke full of life and vigor, 
you looked out into the whirling snow-storms without a 
shiver, and thought nothing of plunging through drifts as 
high as your head on your daily way to school. You jin- 
gled in sleighs, you snow-balled, you lived in snow like a 
snow-bird, and your blood coursed and tingled, in full tide 
of good, merry, real life, through your veins — none of the 
slow-creeping, black blood which clogs the brain and lies 
like a weight on the vital wheels !" 



158 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

It is ascertained by experiments that breathing bad air 
tends so to reduce all the processes of the body, that less 
oxygen is demanded and less carbonic acid sent out. This, 
of course, lessens the vitality and weakens the constitution ; 
and it accounts for the fact that a person of full health, 
accustomed to pure air, suffers from bad air far more than 
those who are accustomed to it. The body of strong and 
healthy persons demands more oxygen, and throws off more 
carbonic acid, and is distressed when the supply fails. But 
the one reduced by bad air feels little inconvenience, be- 
cause all the functions of life are so slow that less oxygen is 
needed, and less carbonic acid thrown out. And the sensi- 
bilities being deadened, the evil is not felt. This provision 
of nature prolongs many lives, though it turns vigorous con- 
stitutions into feeble ones. Were it not for this change in 
the constitution, thousands in badly ventilated rooms and 
houses would come to a speedy death. 

One of the results of unventilated rooms is scrofula. A 
distinguished French physician, M. Baudeloque, states that 

" The repeated respiration of the same atmosphere is the 
cause of scrofula. If there be entirely pure air, there may 
be bad food, bad clothing, and want of personal cleanliness, 
but scrofulous disease will not exist. This disease never 
attacks persons who pass their lives in the open air, and 
always manifests itself when they abide in air which is un- 
renewed." 

This writer illustrates this by the history of a French vil- 
lage where the inhabitants all slept in close, unventilated 
houses. Nearly all were seized with scrofula, and many 
families became wholly extinct, their last members dying 
"rotten with scrofula." A fire destroyed a large part of 
this village. Houses were then built to secure pure air, and 
scrofula disappeared from the part thus rebuilt. 

We are informed by medical writers that defective ven- 
tilation is one great cause of diseased joints, as well as of 
diseases of the eyes, ears, and skin. 

Foul air is the leading cause of tubercular and scrofulous 
consumption, so very common in our country. Dr. Guy, in 
his examination before public health commissioners in Great 



ox HOME VENTILATION. 159 

Britain, says: "Deficient ventilation I believe to be more 
fatal than all other causes put together." He states that 
consumption is twice as common among tradesmen as 
among the gentry, owing to the bad ventilation of their 
stores and dwellings. 

Says Dr. Dio Lewis, whose labors in the cause of health 
are well known : 

" As a medical man I have visited thousands of sick-rooms, 
and have not found in one in a hundred of them a pure at- 
mosphere. I have often returned from church doubting 
whether I had not committed a sin in exposing myself so 
long to its poisonous air. There are in our great cities 
churches costing fifty thousand dollars, in the construction 
of which not fifty cents were expended in providing means 
for ventilation. Ten thousand dollars for ornament, but not 
ten cents for pure air ! 

" Unventilated parlors, with gas-burners, (each consuming 
as much oxygen as several men,) made as tight as possible, 
and a party of ladies and gentlemen spending half the night 
in them ! In 1861, 1 visited a legislative hall, the legislature 
being in session. I remained half an hour in the most im- 
pure air I ever breathed. Our school-houses are, some of 
them, so vile in this respect, that I would prefer to have 
my son remain in utter ignorance of books rather than to 
breathe, six hours every day, such a poisonous atmosphere. 
Theatres and concert-rooms are so foul that only reckless 
people continue to visit them. Twelve hours in a railway- 
car exhausts one, not by the journeying, but because of the 
devitalized air. While crossing the ocean in a Cunard steam- 
er, I was amazed that men who knew enough to construct 
such ships did not know enough to furnish air to the passen- 
gers. The distress of sea-sickness is greatly intensified by 
the sickening air of the ship. Were carbonic acid only blacky 
what a contrast there would be between our hotels in their 
elaborate ornament ! 

"Some time since I visited an establishment where one 
hundred and fifty girls, in a single room, were engaged in 
needle-work. Pale-faced, and with low vitality and feeble 
circulation, they were unconscious that they were breathing 



160 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

air that at once produced in me dizziness and a sense of suf- 
focation. If I had remained a week with them, I should, by- 
reduced vitality, have become unconscious of the vileness of 
the air !" 

There is a prevailing prejudice against night air as un- 
healthful to be admitted into sleeping-rooms, which is owing 
wholly to sheer ignorance. In the night every body neces- 
sarily breathes night air and no other. When admitted 
from without into a sleeping-room, it is colder, and therefore 
heavier, than thp air within, so it sinks to the bottom of the 
room and forces out an equal quantity of the impure air, 
warmed and vitiated by passing through the lungs of in- 
mates. Thus the question is. Shall we shut up a chamber 
and breathe night air vitiated with carbonic acid or night 
air that is pure ? The only real difficulty about night air is, 
that usually it is damper, and therefore colder and more likely 
to chill. This is easily remedied by sufficient bed-clothing. 

One other very prev^alent mistake is found even in books 
written by learned men. It is often thought that carbonic 
acid, being heavier than common air, sinks to the floor of 
sleeping-rooms, so that the low trundle-beds for children 
should not be used. This is all a mistake ; for, as a fact, in 
close sleeping-rooms the purest air is below and the most 
impure above. It is true that carbonic acid is heavier than 
common air, when pure ; but this it rarely is except in chem- 
ical experiments. It is the property of all gases, as well as 
of the two (oxygen and nitrogen) composing the atmosphere, 
that when brought together they always are entirely mixed, 
each being equally diffused. Thus the carbonic acid from 
the skin and lungs, being warmed in the body, rises, as does 
the common air, with which it mixes, toward the top of a 
room ; so that usually there is more carbonic acid at the top 
than at the bottom of a room.* Both common air and car- 
bonic acid expand and become lighter in the same propor- 
tions; that is, for every degree of added heat they expand 
at the rate of 4^ of their bulk. 

* Professor Brewer, of the Yale Scientific School, says : "As a fact, often 
demonstrated by analysis, there is generally more carbonic acid near the ceil- 
ing than near the floor." 



ON HOME VENTILATION. 161 

Here, let it be remembered, that in ill-ventilated rooms 
the carbonic acid is not the only cause of disease. Experi- 
ments seem to prove that other matter thrown out of the 
body, through the lungs and skin, is as truly excrement and 
in a state of decay as that ejected from the bowels, and as 
poisonous to the animal system. Carbonic acid has no odor; 
but -we are warned by the disagreeable effluvia of close sleep- 
ing-rooms of the other poison thus thrown into the air from 
the skin and lungs. There is one provision of nature that is 
little understood, which saves the lives of thousands living 
in unventilated houses ; and that is, the passage of pure air 
inward and impure air outward through the pores of bricks, 
wood, stone, and mortar. Were such dwellings changed to 
tin, which is not thus porous, in less than a week thousands 
and tens of thousands would be in danger of perishing by 
suffocation. 

There are some recent scientific discoveries that relate to 
impure air which may properly be introduced here. It is 
shown by the microscope that fermentation is a process 
which generates extremely minute plants, that gradually 
increase till the whole mass is j^ervaded by this vegetation. 
The microscope also has revealed the fact that, in certain 
disease:^, these microscopic plants are generated in the blood 
and other fluids of the body, in a mode similar to the ordi- 
nary process of fermentation. 

And, what is very curious, each of these peculiar diseases 
< generates diverse kinds of plants. Thus, in the typhoid 
fever, the microscope reveals in the fluids of the patient a 
plant that resembles in form some kinds of sea-weed. In 
chills and fever, the microscopic plant has another form, and 
in small-pox still another. A work has recently been pub- 
lished in Europe, in which representations of these various 
microscopic plants generated in the fluids of the diseased 
persons are exhibited, enlarged several hundred times by 
the microscope. All diseases that exhibit these microscopic 
plants are classed together, and are called Zymotic^ from a 
Greek word signifying to ferment. 

It is now regarded as probable that most of these diseases 
are generated by the microscopic plants which float in an 



162 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

impure or miasmatic atmosphere, and are taken into the 
blood by breathing. 

Recent scientific investigations in Great Britain and other 
countries prove that the power of resisting these diseases de- 
pends upon the purity of the air which has been habitually 
inspired. The human body gradually accommodates itself 
to unhealthful circumstances, so that people can live a long 
time in bad air. But the " reserve power" of the body — 
that is, the power of resisting disease — is under such cir- 
cumstances gradually destroyed, and then an epidemic easily 
sweeps away those thus enfeebled. The plague of London, 
that destroyed thousands every day, came immediately after 
a long period of damp, warm days, when there was no wind 
to carry off the miasma thus generated ; while the people, 
by long breathing of bad air, were all prepared, from having 
sunk into a low vitality, to fall before the pestilence. 

Multitudes of public documents show that the fatality of 
epidemics is always proportioned to the degree in which im- 
pure air has previously been respired. Sickness and death 
are therefore regulated by the degree in which air is kept 
pure, especially in case of diseases in which medical treat- 
ment is most uncertain, as in cholera and malignant fevers. 

Investigations made by governmental authority, and by 
boards of health in this country and in Great Britain, prove 
that zymotic diseases ordinarily result from impure air gen- 
erated by vegetable or animal decay, and that in almost- all 
cases they can be prevented by keeping the air pure. The 
decayed animal matter sent off from the skin and lungs in 
a close, unventilated bedroom is one thing that generates 
these zymotic diseases. The decay of animal and vegetable 
matter in cellars, sinks, drains, and marshy districts is an- 
other cause; and the decayed vegetable matter thrown up 
by plowing up of decayed vegetable matter in the rich soil 
an new countries is another. 

In the investigations made in certain parts of Great Brit- 
ain, it appeared that in districts where the air is pure the 
deaths average eleven in one thousand each year; while in 
localities most exposed to impure miasma the mortality was 
forty-five in every thousand. At this rate, thirty-four per- 



ON HOME VENTILATION. 163 

sons in every thousand died from poisoned air, who would 
have preserved health and life by well-ventilated homes in 
a pure atmosphere. And, out of all who died, the propor- 
tion who owed their deaths to foul air was more than three- 
fourths. Similar facts have been obtained by boards of 
health in our own country. 

Mr. Lewis Leeds gives statistics showing that in Phila- 
delphia, by improved modes of ventilation and other sani- 
tary methods, there was a saving of three thousand two hun- 
dred and thirty-seven lives in two years; and a saving of 
three-fourths of a million of dollars, which would pay the 
whole expense of the public schools. Philadelphia being 
previously an unusually cleanly and well-ventilated city, 
what would be the saving of life, health, and wealth were 
such a city as New York perfectly cleansed and ventilated ? 



164 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ON WAEMING A HOME. 

The laws that regulate the generation, diffusion, and pres- 
ervation of heat as yet are a sealed mystery to thousands of 
young women who imagine they are completing a suitable 
education in courses of instruction from which most that is 
practical in future domestic life is wholly excluded. We 
therefore give a brief outline of some of the leading scientific 
principles which every housekeeper should understand and 
employ, in order to perform successfully one of her most im- 
portant duties. 

Concerning the essential nature of heat, and its intimate 
relations with the other great natural forces, light, electric- 
ity, etc., we shall not attempt to treat, but shall, for prac- 
tical purposes, assume it to be a separate and independent 
force. 

Heat or caloric, then, has certain powers or principles. Let 
us consider them : 

First, we find Conduction^ by which heat passes from one 
particle to another next to it ; as when one end of a poker is 
warmed by placing the other end in the fire. The bodies 
which allow this power free course are called conductors, 
and those which do not are named non-conductors. Metals 
are good conductors ; feathers, wool, and furs are poor con- 
ductors ; and water, air, and gases are non-conductors. 

Another principle of heat is Co7ivection^ by which water, 
air, and gases are warmed. ' This is, literally, the process of 
conveying heat from one portion of a fluid body to another 
by currents resulting from changes of temperature. It is 
secured by bringing one portion of a liquid or gas into con- 
tact with a heated surface, and thus it becomes lighter and 
expanded in volume. In consequence, the cooler and heavi- 
er particles above pressing downward, the lighter ones rise 
upward. Thus a constant motion of currents and inter- 



ON WAEMING A HOME. 165 

change of particles is produced, until, as in a vessel of water, 
the whole body comes to an equal temperature. Air is heat- 
ed in the same way. In case of a hot stove, the air that 
touches it is heated, becomes lighter, and rises, giving place 
to cooler and heavier particles, which, when heated, also as- 
cend. It is owing to this process that the air of a room is 
warmest at the top and coolest at the bottom. 

It is owing to this principle, also, that water and air can 
not be heated by fire from above. For the particles of these 
bodies, being non-conductors, do not impart heat to each 
other ; and when the warmest are at the top, they can not 
take the place of cooler and heavier ones below. 

Another principle of heat (which it shares with light) is 
Radiation^ by w^hich all things send out heat to surrounding 
cooler bodies. Some bodies will absorb radiated heat, others 
will reflect it, and others allow it to pass through them with- 
out either absorbing or reflecting. Thus, black and rough 
substances absorb heat, (or light,) colored and smooth arti- 
cles reflect it, while air allows it to pass through without 
either absorbing or reflecting. It is owing to this that rough 
and black vessels boil water sooner than smooth and light- 
colored ones. 

Another principle is Reflection^ by w^hich heat radiated to 
a surface is turned back from it when not absorbed or al- 
lowed to pass through ; just as a ball rebounds from a wall ; 
just as sound is thrown back from a hill, making echo; just 
as rays of light are reflected from a mirror. 

There is no department of science, as applied to practi- 
cal matters, which has so often bafiled experimenters as the 
healthful .mode of warming and ventilating houses. The 
British nation spent over a million on the House of Parlia- 
ment for this end, and failed. Our own Government has 
spent half a million on the Capitol, wuth worse failure ; and 
now it is proposed to spend a million more. The reason is, 
that the old open fire-place has been supplanted by less ex- 
pensive modes of heating, destructive to health ; and science 
has but just begun experiments to secure a remedy for the 
evil. 

The open fire warms the person, the walls, the floors, and 



166 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

the furniture by radiation, and these, together jvith the fire, 
warm the air by convection ; for the air resting on the 
heated surfaces is warmed by convection, rises and gives 
place to cooler particles, causing a constant heating of its 
particles by movement. Thus, in a room with an open fire, 
the person is warmed in part by radiation from the fire and 
the surrounding walls and furniture, and in part by the 
warm air surrounding the body. 

In regard to the warmth of air, the thermometer is not an 
exact index of its temperature. For all bodies are con- 
stantly radiating their heat to cooler adjacent surfaces until 
all come to the same temperature. This being so, the ther- 
mometer is radiating its heat to walls and surrounding ob- 
jects, in addition to what is subtracted by the air that sur- 
rounds it, and thus the air is really several degrees warmer 
than the thermometer indicates. A room at 70° by the ther- 
mometer is usually filled with air five or more degrees 
warmer than this. 

Now, the cold air is denser than warm, and therefore con- 
tains more oxygen. Consequently, the cooler the air in- 
spired, the larger the supply of oxygen and of the vitality 
and vigor which it imparts. Thus, the great problem for 
economy of health is to warm the person as much as possi- 
ble by radiated heat, and supply the lungs with cool air. 
For when we breathe air at from 16° to 20°, we take double 
the amount of oxygen that we do when we inhale it at 80° 
to 90°, and consequently can do a far greater amount of 
muscle and brain work. 

Warming by an open fire is nearest to the natural mode 
of the Creator, who heats the earth and its furniture by the 
great central fire of heaven, and sends cool breezes for our 
lungs. But open fires involve great destruction of fuel and 
expenditure of money, and in consequence economic meth- 
ods have been introduced, to the great destruction of health 
and life. 

Whenever a family-room is heated by an open fire, it is 
duly ventilated, as the impure air is constantly passing off 
through the heated chimney, while, to supply the vacated 
space, the pure air presses in through the cracks of doors, 



ox WAEMING A HOME. 167 

windows, and floors. No such supply is gained for rooms 
warn'ied by stoves. And yet, from mistaken motives of 
economy, as well as from ignorance of the resulting evils, 
multitudes of householders are thus destroying health and 
shortening life, especially in regard to women and children 
who spend most of their time within doors. This is espe- 
cially the case where air-tight stoves are used. 

A common mode of warming is by heated air from a fur- 
nace. The chief objection to this is the loss of moisture and 
of all radiated heat, and the consequent necessity of breath- 
ing air which is debilitating, both from its heat and also 
from being usually deprived of the requisite moisture pro- 
vided by the Creator in all outdoor air. Another objec- 
tion is the fact that it is important to health to preserve an 
equal circulation of the blood, and the greatest impediment 
to this is a mode of heating which keeps the head in warmer 
air than the feet. This is especially deleterious in an age and 
country where active brains are constantly drawing blood 
from the extremities to the head. All furnace-heated rooms 
have coldest air at the feet, and warmest around the head. 

What follows illustrates the principles on which several 
modes of ventilation are practiced. 

It is the common property of both air and water to ex- 
pand, become lighter and rise, just in proportion as they are 
heated ; and therefore it is the invariable law that cool air 
sinks, thus replacing the warmer air below. Thus, whenever 
cool air enters a warm room, it sinks downward and takes 
the place of an equal amount of the warmer air, which is 
constantly tending upward and outward. This principle of 
all fluids is illustrated by the following experiment : 

Take a glass jar about a foot high and three inches in di- 
ameter, and with a wire to aid in placing it aright, sink a 
small bit of lighted candle so as to stand in the centre at 
the bottom. (Fig. 34.) The candle will heat the air of the 
jar, which will rise a little on one side, while the colder air 
without will begin falling on the other side. These two 
currents will so conflict as finally to cease, and then the 
candle, having no supply of oxygen from fresh air, will be- 
gin to go out. Insert a bit of stiff paper so as to divide the 



168 



THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



Ficr. 34. 




This illustrates 
the mode by which 
coal-mines are ven- 
tilated when filled 
with carbonic acid. 
A shaft divided 
into two passages, 
(Figure 35,) is let 
down into the 
mine, where the air is warmer than 
the outside air. Immediately the 
colder air outside presses down into 
the mine, through the passage which 
is highest, being admitted by the es- 
cape of an equal quantity of the warm- 
er air, which rises through the lower 
passage of the shaft, this being the 
first available opening for it to rise 
through. A current is thus created, 
which continues as long as the inside 
air is warmer than that without the 
mine, and no longer. Sometimes a fire 
is kindled in the mine, in order to con- 
tinue or increase the warmth, and con- 
sequent upward current of its air. 

It is on this plan that many school- 
houses and manufactories have been 



mouth of the jar, and instantly 
the cold and warm air are not in 
conflict as before, because a cur- 
rent is formed each side of the 
paper; the cold air descending 
on one side and the warm air 
ascending the other side, as indicated 
by the arrows. As long as the paper 
remains, the candle will burn, and as 
soon as it is removed, it will begin to 
go out, and can be restored by again in- 
sertinsc the paper. 




ON WARMING A HOME. 169 

ventilated. Its grand defect is, that it fails altogether when 
the air outside the house is at the same temperature as that 
within. This illustrates one of the cases where a "wise 
woman that buildeth her house" is greatly needed. For, 
owing to the ignorance of architects, house-builders, and 
men in general, they have been building school-houses, 
dwelling-houses, churches, and colleges, with the most ab- 
surd and senseless contrivances for ventilation, and all from 
not applying this principle of science. On this point. Pro- 
fessor Brewer, of the Scientific School of Yale College, writes 
thus : 

"I have been in public buildings, (I have one in mind 
now, filled with dormitories,) which cost half a million, 
where they attempted to ventilate every room by a single 
flue, long and narrow, built into partition walls, and ex- 
tending up into the capacious garret of the fifth story. Ev- 
ery room in the building had one such flue, with an opening 
into it at the floor and at the ceiling. It is needless to say 
that the whole concern w^as entirely useless. Had these flues 
been of proper proportions, and properly divided, the de- 
sired ventilation w^ould have been secured." And this piece 
of ignorant folly was perpetrated in the midst of learned 
professors, teaching the laws of fluids and the laws of 
health ! 

In a cold climate and wintry weather, the grand impedi- 
ment to ventilating rooms by opening doors or windows is 
the dangerous currents thus produced, which are so injuri- 
ous to the delicate ones that for their sake it can not be 
done. Then, also, as a matter of economy, the poor can not 
aflbrd to practice a method which carries ofi'the heat gener- 
ated by their stinted store of fuel. Even in a warm season 
and climate, there are frequent periods when the air without 
is damp and chilly, and yet at nearly the same temperature as 
that in the house. At such times even the opening of w^in- 
dows often has little efiect in emptying a room of vitiated 
air. 

The most successful mode of ventilating a 'house is by 
creating a current of w\arm air in a flue, into which an open- 
ing is made at both the top and the bottom of a room, to 

8 



170 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

carry oif the impure air, while a similar opening to admit 
outside air is made at the opposite side of the room. This 
is the mode employed in chemical laboratories for removing 
smells and injurious gases. 

These statements give some idea of the evils to be reme- 
died. But the most difficult point is hoio to secure the rem- 
edy ; for often the attempt to secure pure air by one class 
of persons brings chills, colds, and disease on another class, 
from mere is^norance or mismauasrement. 

To illustrate this, it must be borne in mind that those 
who live in warm, close, and unventilated rooms are much 
more liable to take cold from exposure to draughts and cold 
air than those of vigorous vitality accustomed to breathe 
pure air. 

Thus the strong and healthy husband, feeling the want of 
pure air in the night, and knowing its importance, keeps win- 
dows open, and makes such draughts that the wife, who lives 
all day in a close room and thus is low in vitality, can not 
bear the change, has colds, and sometimes perishes a victim 
to wrong modes of ventilation. 

So, even in health-establishments, the patients will pass 
most of their days and nights in badly-ventilated rooms. 
But at times the physician, or some earnest patient, insists 
on a mode of ventilation that brings more evil than good to 
the delicate inmates. 

The grand art of ventilating houses is by some method 
that will empty rooms of the vitiated air and bring in a sup- 
ply of pure air hy small and hnpe^'ceptible currents. 

But this important duty of a Christian woman is one that 
demands more science, care, and attention than almost any 
other ; and yet, to prepare her for this duty has never been 
any part of female education. Young women are taught to 
draw mathematical diagrams and to solve astronomical prob- 
lems ; but few, if any, of them are taught to solve the prob- 
lem of a house constructed to secure pure and moist air by 
day and night for all its inmates by safe methods. 

We have seen the process through which the air is rendered 
unhealthful by close rooms and want of ventilation. Every 
person inspires air about twenty times each minute, using 



ON WARMING A HOME. I7l 

Lalf a.j^int each time. At this rate, every pair of kings viti- 
ates one hogshead of air every hour. The membrane that 
lines the multitudinous air-cells of the lungs in which the 
capillaries are, should it be united in one sheet, would cover 
the floor of a room twelve feet square. Every breath brings 
a surface of air in contact with this extent of capillaries, 
by which the air inspired gives up most of its oxygen and 
receives carbonic acid in its stead. These facts furnish a 
guide for the proper ventilation of rooms. Just in propor- 
tion to the number of persons in a room or a house should 
be the amount of air brought in and carried out by arrange- 
ments for ventilation. But how rarely is this rule regard- 
ed in building houses or in the care of families by house- 
keepers ! 

As a guide to proportioning the air admitted and dis- 
charged to the number of persons, we have the following 
calculation : On an average, every adult vitiates about half 
a pint of air at each inspiration, and inspires twenty times 
a minute. This would amount to one hogshead of air vi- 
tiated every hour by every grown person. To keep the air 
pure, this amount should enter and be carried out every 
hour for each person. If, then, ten persons assemble in a 
dining-room, ten hogsheads of air should enter and ten be 
discharged each hour. By the same rule, a gathering of 
five hundred persons demands the entrance and discharge 
of five hundred hogsheads of air every hour, and a thousand 
persons require a thousand hogsheads of air every hour. 

Therefore in calculating the size of registers and conduct- 
ors, we must have reference to the number of persons who 
are to abide in a dwelling ; while for rooms or halls intend- 
ed for large gatherings a far greater allowance must be 
made. 

The most successful arrangement for both warming and 
ventilation, is that employed by Lewis Leeds to ventilate the 
military hospitals, and also the treasury building at Washing- 
ton. It is modeled strictly after the mode adopted by the 
Creator in warming and ventilating the earth, the home of 
(lis great earthly family. It aims to have a passage of pure 
air through every room, as the breezes pass over the hills, 



172 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 

and to have a method of warming chiefly by radiation, as 
the earth is warmed by the sun. In addition to this, the air 
is to be provided with moisture, as it is supplied outdoors 
by exhalations from the earth and its trees and plants. 

The mode of accomplishing this is by placing coils of 
steam, or hot-water pipes, under windows, which warm the 
parlor walls and furniture, partly by radiation, and partly 
by the air warmed on the heated surfaces of the coils. At 
the same time, by regulating registers, or by simply opening 
the lower part of the window, the pure air, guarded from im- 
mediate entrance into the room, is admitted directly upon 
the coils, so that it is partially warmed before it spreads 
through the room; and thus cold draughts are prevented. 
Then the vitiated air is drawn ofi" through registers both at 
the top and bottom of the room, opening into a heated ex- 
hausting-flue, through which the constantly ascending cur- 
rent of warm air carries it off*. These heated coils are often 
used for warming houses without any arrangement for car- 
rying off the vitiated air, when, of course, their usefulness is 
gone. 

The moisture may be supplied by a broad vessel placed 
on or close to the heated coils, giving a large surface for 
evaporation. When rooms are warmed chiefly by radiated 
heat, the air can be borne much cooler than in rooms warmed 
by hot-air furnaces, just as a person in the radiating sun can 
bear much cooler air than in the shade. A time will come 
when walls and floors will be contrived to radiate heat in- 
stead of absorbing it from the occupants of houses, as is gen- 
erally the case at the present time, and then all can breathe 
pure and cool air. 

We are now prepared to examine more in detail the modes 
of warming and ventilation employed in the dwellings plan- 
ned for this work. 

In doing this, it should be remembered that the aim is not 
to give plans of houses to suit the architectural taste or the 
domestic convenience of persons who intend to keep several 
servants, and care little whether they breathe pure or bad 
air, nor of persons who do not wish to educate their children i 
to manual industry or to habits of close economy. 



ox WAEMING A HOME. 173 

On the contrary, the aim is, first, to secure a house in 
which every room shall be perfectly ventilated both day and 
night, and that too without the watchful care and constant 
attention and intelligence needful in houses not provided 
with a proper and successful mode of ventilation. 

The next aim is, to arrange the conveniences of domestic 
labor so as to save time, and also to render such work less 
repulsive than it is made by common methods, so that chil- 
dren can be trained to love house- work. And -lastly, econ- 
omy of expense in house-building is sought. These things 
should be borne in mind in examining the plans of this 
work. 

In the dwelling-house, chap, ii., part ii.. Fig. 7, a cast-iron 
pipe is made in sections, which are to be united, and the 
whole fastened at top and bottom in the centre of the 
warm-air flue by ears extending to the bricks, and fastened 
when the flue is in process of building. Projecting open- 
ings to receive the pipes of the furnace, the laundry stove, 
and two stoves in each story, should be provided in this 
cast-iron pipe, which must be closed when not in use. A 
large opening is to be made into the warm-air flue, and 
through this the kitchen stove-pipe is to pass, and be joined 
to the cast-iron chimney - pipe. Thus the smoke of the 
kitchen stove will warm the iron chimney-pipe, and this 
will warm the air of the flue, causing a current upward, and 
this current will draw the heat and smells of cooking out of 
the kitchen into the opening of the warm-air flue. Every 
room surrounding the chimney has an opening at the top 
and bottom into the warm-air flue for ventilation, as also 
have the bath-room and water-closets. 

The pure air for rooms on the ground-floor is to be intro- 
duced by a wooden conductor one foot square, running un- 
der the floor from the front door to the stove-room, with 
cross branches to the two large rooms. The pure air passes 
through this, protected outside by wire netting, and deliver- 
ed inside through registers in each room, as indicated in 
Fig. 7. 

In case open Franklin stoves are used in the large rooms, 
the pure air from the conductor should enter behind them. 



174 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

and thus be partially wanned. The vitiated air is carried 
off at the bottom of the room through the open stoves, and 
also at the top by a register opening into a conductor to the 
exhausting warm-air shaft, which, it will be remembered, is 
the square chimney, containing the iron pipe which receives 
the kitchen stove-pipe. The stove-room receives pure air 
from the conductor, and sends off impure air and the smells 
of cooking by a register opening directly into the exhaust- 
ing shaft ; while its hot air and smoke, passing through the 
iron pipe, heat the air of the shaft, and produce the exhaust- 
iuo^ current. 

The large chambers on the second floor (Fig. 18) have 

pure air conducted from the stove-room through registers 

that can be closed if the heat or smells of cooking are un- 

• pleasant. The air in the stove-room will always be moist 

from the water of the stove boiler. 

The small chambers have pure air admitted from windows 
sunk at top half an inch ; and the warm, vitiated air is con- 
ducted by a register in the ceiling which opens into a con- 
ductor to the exhausting warm-air shaft at the centre of the 
house, as shown in Fig. 23. 

The basement or cellar is ventilated by an opening into 
the exhausting air-shaft, to remove impure air, and a small 
opening over each glazed door to admit pure air. The doors 
open out into a "well," or recess, excavated in the earth be- 
fore the cellar, for the admission of light and air, neatly 
bricked up and whitewashed. The doors are to be made en- 
tirely of strong, thick glass sashes, and this will give light 
enough for laundry work — the tubs and ironing-table being 
placed closed to the glazed door. The floor must be plas- 
tered with water-lime, and the walls and ceiling be white- 
washed, which will add reflected light to the room. There 
will thus be no need of other windows, and the house need 
not be raised above the ground. Several cottages have been 
built thus, so that the ground-floors and conservatories are 
nearly on the same level ; and all agree that they are pleas- 
anter than when raised higher. 

When a window in any room is sunk at the top, it should 
have a narrow shelf in front inclined to the opening, so as to 



ONT WARMIXG A HOME. 175 

keep out the rain. In small chambers for one person, an 
inch opening is su^cient, and in larger rooms for two per- 
sons a two-inch opening is needed. The openings into the 
exhausting-air flue should vary from eight inches to twelve 
inches square, or more, according to the number of persons 
who are to sleep in the room. 

The time when ventilation is most difficult is the medium 
weather in spring and fall, when the air, though damp, is 
similar in temperature outside and in. Then the warm-air 
flue is indispensable to proper ventilation. This is especial- 
ly needed in a room used for school or church purposes. 

Every room should have its air regulated not only as to 
its warmth and purity, but also as to its supply of moisture; 
and for this purpose will be found very convenient the in- 
strument called the hygrodeik,* which shows at once the 
^temperature and the moisture. 

The preceding remarks illustrate the advantages of the 
cottage plan in respect to healthful ventilation. The econo- 
my of the mode of warming next demands attention. In the 
first place, it should be noted that the chimney being at the 
centre of the house, no heat is lost by its radiation through 
outside walls into open air, as is the case with all fire-places 
and grates that have their backs and flues joined to an out- 
side wall. 

In this pl^n all the radiated heat from the stove serves 
to warm the walls of adjacent rooms in cold weather ; while 
in the warm season the non-conductinsc summer casin2:s of 
the stove described in the next chapter send all the heat 
either into the exhausting warm-air shaft or into the central 
cast-iron pipe. In addition, the sliding doors of the stove- 
room (which should be only six feet high, meeting the par- 
tition coming from the ceiling), can be opened in cool days, 
and then the heat from the stove would temper the rooms 
each side of the kitchen. In hot weather they could be kept 
closed, except when the stove is used, and then opened only 
for a short time. The Franklin stoves in the large room 
would give the radiating warmth and cheerful blaze of an 

* It is manufactured by N. M. Lowe, Boston, and sold by him and J. 
Queen & Co., Philadelphia 



176 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

open fire, while radiating heat also from all their surfaces. 
In cold weather the air of the larsjer chambers could be 
tempered by registers admitting warm air from the stove- 
room, which would always be sufficiently moistened by 
evaporation from the stationary boilei*. The conservatories 
in winter, protected from frost by double sashes, would con- 
tribute agreeable moisture to the larger rooms. In case the 
size of a family required more rooms, another story could be 
ventilated and warmed by the same mode, with little addi- 
tional expense. 

We will next notice the economy of time, labor, and ex- 
pense secured by this cottage plan. The laundry work be- 
ing done in the basement, all the cooking, dish-washing, etc., 
can be done in the kitchen and stove-room on the ground- 
floor. But in case a larger kitchen is needed, the lounges 
can be put in the front part of the large room, and the mov- 
able screen placed so as to give a work-room adjacent to 
the kitchen, and the front side of the same be used for the 
eating-room. Where the movable screen is used, the floor 
should be oiled wood. A square piece of carpet can be put 
in the centre of the front part of the room, to keep the feet 
warm w^hen sitting around the table, and small rugs can be 
placed before the lounges or other sitting-places, for the 
same purpose. 

Most cottages are so divided by entries, stairs, closets, 
etc., that there can be no large rooms. But in this plan, by 
the use of the movable screen, two fine large rooms can be 
secured whenever the family work is over, while the con- 
veniences for work will very much lessen the time required. 

In certain cases, where the closest economy is needful, 
two small families can occupy the cottage, by having a 
movable screen in both rooms, and using the kitchen in 
common, or divide it and have two smaller stoves. Each 
kitchen will then have a window, and as much room as is 
given to the kitchen in great steamers that provide for sev- 
eral hundred. 

Whoever plans a house with a view to economy must ar- 
range rooms around a central chimney, and avoid all project- 
ing appendages. Dormer-windows are far more expensive 



ON WAKMING A HOME. 177 

than common ones, and are less pleasant. Every addition 
projecting from a main building greatly increases expense 
of building, and still more of warming and ventilating. 

It should be introduced, as one school exercise in every 
female seminary, to plan houses with reference to economy 
of time, labor, and expense, and also with reference to good 
architectural taste ; and the teacher should be qualified to 
point out faults and give the instruction needed to pre- 
vent such mistakes in practical life. Every girl should be 
trained to be " a wise woman " that " buildeth her house " 
aright. 

There is but one mode of ventilation yet tried that will, 
at all seasons of the year and all hours of the day and night, 
secure pure air without dangerous draughts, and that is by 
an exhausting warm-air flue. This is always secured by an 
open fire-place, so long as its chimney is kept warm by any 
fire. And in many cases, a fire-place with a flue of a cer- 
tain dimension and height will secure good ventilation, ex- 
cept when the air without and within is at the same tem- 
perature. 

When no exhausting warm-air flue can be used, the open- 
ing of doors and windows is the only resort. Every sleep- 
ing-room loithout afire-place that draios smoke loell should 
have a window raised at the bottom or sunk at the top at 
least an inch, with an inclined shelf outside or in, to keep 
1 out rain, and then it is properly ventilated, provided the air 
outside is colder than the inside air — but not otherwise. 
Or a door should be kept opened into a hall with an open 
window. Let the bed-clothing be increased, so as to keep 
warm in bed, and protect the head also, and then the more 
air comes into a sleeping-room the better for health. 

In reference to the warming of rooms and houses already 
built, there is no doubt that stoves are the most economical 
mode, as they radiate heat and also warm by convection. 
The grand objection to their use is the difficulty of securing 
proper ventilation. If a room is well warmed by a stove, 
and then several small openings made for the entrance of a 
^ood supply of outdoor air, and by a mode that will prevent 
[iangerous draughts, all is right as to pure air. But in this 

8* 



178 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

case the feet are always on cold floors, surrounded by the 
coldest air, while the head is in air of much higher temper- 
ature. 

The writer believes that ere long the common mode of 
warming by furnaces will be banished as most pernicious 
to health, and constant sources of discomfort and economic 
waste. The reasons for this demand reference to some of 
the principles of pneumatics. 

It has been shown how the air is heated by convectmi^ or 
changing contact. It is thus the atmosphere is warmed, not 
by the rays of the sun passing through it, but by contact 
with the earth and other objects which have been warmed 
by radiated heat from the sun. The lower stratum of air 
being thus warmed, becomes lighter, and ascends, giving 
place to the cooler and heavier air. This process continues, 
so that the warmest air is always nearest the earth, and 
grows cooler as height increases. 

The air has a strong attraction for water, and always holds 
a certain quantity as an invisible vapor. The warmer the 
air the more water it demands, and will draw it from all 
objects it can reach. When air cools, it deposits its invisi- 
ble moisture as dew. When the air has all the water it can 
hold, it is said to be saturated ; and when it cools so as to be- 
gin to deposit moisture, it is called the dew x>oint. 

When air holds all the moisture it can sustain, its moisture 
is said to be at 100 per cent. ; when it holds only one-half as 
much as its temperature demands, it is said to be at 50 per 
cent. ; and when it holds three-fourths of ^vhat its tempera- 
ture requires, it is at 75 per cent. ; and when only one-fourth, 
it holds 25 per cent. 

In summer, outdoor air rarely holds less than half its vol- 
ume of water ; that is, a quart of air usually holds as much 
as a pint of invisible vapor. In 1838, at Harvard and Yale, 
at 70° Fahrenheit, the air held 80 per cent, of moisture; at 
New Orleans it often holds 90 per cent.; at the North, in' 
fogs, the air often holds all it can, or is saturated — that is, 
holding 100 j^er cent. Thus it appears that the hotter the 
air, the more water is demanded by it for invisible vapor, and 
this it takes from all around. 



ox WAEMIXG A HOME. 179 

Professor Bremer, of Yale College, states that 40 per cent, 
of moisture is needed to make air healthful. Now furnaces 
receive cold air containing little invisible moisture, and by 
heating it a demand is created for much more. This is 
sucked up, as by a sponge, from walls and furniture, and es- 
pecially from the lungs and capillaries of our bodies, thus 
causing dryness and sometimes inflammation of lips, nose, 
eyes, throat, and lungs. Experiments prove that while 40 
per cent, of moisture is needed for health, furnace-heated air 
rarely has as much as 20 per cent., even when a few quarts of 
water are evaporated in the furnace chamber. Thus the in- 
mates of the house breathe dryer air than is ever breathed 
in the hottest deserts of Sahara. 

Thus, for want of proper instruction, most American house- 
keepers who use stoves and furnaces not only poison their 
families with carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, and starve 
them for want of oxygen, but also diminish health and com- 
fort for want of a due supply of moisture in the air. And 
often when a remedy is sought, by evaporating water in 
the furnace, or on the stove, it is without knowing that the 
amount evaporated dej^ends, not on the quantity of water in 
the vessel, but on the extent of evajDorating surface exposed 
to the air. A quart of water in a wide shallow pan will give 
more moisture than two gallons with a small surface exposed 
to heat. 

There is also no little wise economy in keeping a proper 
supply of moisture in the air. For it is found that the body 
radiates its heat less in moist than in dry air, so that a per- 
son feels as warm at a lower temperature when the air has 
a proper supply of moisture, as in a much higher tempera- 
ture of dry air. Of course, less fuel is needed to warm a 
house when water is evaporated in stove and furnace-heated 
rooms. It is said by those who have experimented, that the 
saving in fuel is twenty per cent, when the air is duly sup- 
plied with moisture. 

There are other difficulties connected with furnaces which 
should be considered. 

The human body is constantly radiating its heat to walls, 
floors, and cooler bodies around. At the same time, a ther- 



180 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

mometer is affected in the same way, radiatiug its heat to 
cooler bodies around, so that it always marks a lower degree 
of heat than actually exists in the warm air around it. Ow- 
ing to these facts, the injected air of a furnace is always 
warmer than is good for the lungs, and much warmer than 
is ever needed in rooms warmed by radiation from fires or 
heated surfaces. The cooler the air we inspire, the more 
oxygen is received, the faster the blood circulates, and the 
greater is the vigor imparted to brain, nerves, and muscles. 

Every woman ought to know all the dangers connected 
with furnaces and how to remedy them. The following may 
aid in this duty : 

When a furnace does not draw well, it often is owing to 
the stoppage by fine ashes or soot, and then the smoke-flues 
must be cleaned. The fewer and more simple the smoke- 
flues the less this trouble will occur. Sometimes the shak- 
ing of a furnace makes cracks in joints, and this causes out- 
flow of gas and also diminishes the draught. 

When iron is very hot, it burns the particles floating in 
the air, making an unpleasant smell and dryness. A large 
furnace, therefore, is better than a small one that must be 
kept very hot. 

Water should be evaporated in large surfaces, and so as 
to deposit dew on windows. 

Heated air passes off by the shortest courses, and it is oft- 
en the case that the more distant rooms thus warmed have 
no ventilation and little renewal from the furnace air, and 
this is often shown by a fetid smell. 

Furnaces where air is heated in the furnace-chamber by 
coils of steam or by hot water, though costing more at first, 
require much less fuel, and do not involve the evils of warm- 
ing by hot iron. 

The safest and pleasantest way of warming a dwelling is 
by steam-coils, provided there are fire-places or hot-air flues 
to carry off bad air. Without these, this is the most un- 
healthful mode of all, as there is no fresh air brought in, and 
what is heated is breathed over and over, till it is poisonous. 

The want of caj-e in regulating the dampers of the air- 
box often makes a house cold, however great the furnace 



ON WARMING A HOME. 181 

fire. A strong wind requires the dampers nearly closed, 
especially when it is on the side where the air enters from 
without. Every furnace should be supplied, not by cellar 
air, but by air taken through a shaft from a height, and so 
more pure. 

Remember that an open fire, or an opening into a hot-air 
flue, will ventilate properly in all seasons and all weathers. 
The opening should be at both the top and bottom of the 
room. 



182 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER V. 

ON STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 

The simplest mode of warmiog a house and cooking food 
is by radiated heat from fires ; but this is the most wasteful 
method, as respects time, labor, and expense. The most 
convenient, economical, and labor-saving mode of employing 
heat is by co7ivection, as applied in stoves and furnaces ; 
but for want of proper care and scientific knowledge this 
method has proved very destructive to health. When 
warming and cooking were done by open fires, houses were 
well supplied with pure air, as is rarely the case in rooms 
heated by stoves; for such is the prevailing ignorance on 
this subject, that as long as stoves save labor and warm the 
air, the great majority of people, especially among the igno- 
rant, will use them in ways that involve debilitated consti- 
tutions and frequent disease. 

The most common modes of cooking, where open fires are 
relinquished, are by the range and the cooking-stove. The 
range is inferior to the stove in these respects : it is less 
economical, demanding much more fuel ; it endangers the 
dress of the cook while standing near for various oj)era- 
tions; it requires more stooping than the stove while cook- 
ing ; it will not keep a fire all night, as do the best stoves ; 
it will not burn wood and coal equally well; and lastly, if it 
warms the kitchen sufficiently in winter, it is too warm for 
summer. Some prefer it because the fumes of cooking can 
be carried off"; but stoves properly arranged accomplish 
this equally well. 

After extensive inquiry and many personal experiments, 
the author has found a cooking-stove constructed on true 
scientific principles, Avhich unites convenience, comfort, and 
economv, in a remarkable manner; and this is the one re- 
ferred to in the kitchen of the cottage described in Chapter 
IV. Of this stove drawings and descriptions will now be 



ox STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 



183 



given, as the best mocle of illustrating the practical applica- 
tions of these principles to the art of cooking, and to show- 
how much American women have suffered, and how much 
they have been imposed upon for want of proper knowledge 
in this branch of their profession. And every woman can 
understand what follows with much less effort than youno- 
girls at high-schools give to the first problems of Geometry 
— for which they will never have any practical use, while at- 
tention to this problem of home affairs will cultivate the in- 




tellect quite as much as the abstract reasonings of Algebra 
and Geometry. 

Fig. 36 represents a portion of the interior of this cook- 
ing-stove. First, notice the fire-box, which has corrugated 
(literally, wrinkled) sides, by which space is economized, so 
that as much heating surface is secured as if they were one- 
third larger; for the heat radiates from every pa^ of the 
undulating surface, which is one-third greater in superficial 



HRE 
BOX 



' OVEN 



184 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

extent than if it were plane. The shape of the fire-box also 
secures more heat by having oblique sides — which radiate 
more effectively into the oven beneath than if they were 
perpendicular, as illustrated by Figs. 37 and 38. It is also 
sunk into the oven, so as to radiate from three instead of 
from two sides. In most other stoves, the front of the fire- 
boxes with their grates are v'w qs 

rjcr. 37. ° rig. o». 

built so as to be the front of 
^i^^. I.-- ^^^ stove itself, and radiate 

outward chiefly. 
'//;\\Vv\ The oven is the space un- 

OVEN <^6r and around the back and 

""■"""■^■"^ front sides of the fire-box. The ^ ^. 

Model stove. , ^^ . ^ • ^ -i -i Ordinary Stove. 

oven-bottom is not mtroduced 
in the diagram, but it is a horizontal plate between the 
fire-box and what is represented as the " flue-plate," which 
separates the oven from the bottom of the stove. The top 
of the oven is the horizontal corrugated plate passing from 
the rear edge of the fire-box to the back flues. These flues 
are three in number — the back centre-flue, which is closed to 
the heat and smoke coming over the oven from the fire-box 
by a damper, and the two back corner-flues. Down these 
two corner-flues passes the current of hot air and smoke, hav- 
ing first drawn across the corrugated oven-top. The arrows 
show its descent through these flues, from which it obliquely 
strikes and passes over the flue-plate, then under it, and then 
out through the centre back-flue, which is open at the bot- 
tom, up into the smoke-pipe. 

The flue-plate is placed obliquely, to accumulate heat by 
forcing and compression ; for the back space where the 
smoke enters from the corner-flues is largest, and decreases 
toward the front, so that the hot current is comj^ressed in a 
narrow space, between the oven-bottom and the flue-plate 
at the place where the bent arrows are seen. Here again it 
enters a wider space, under the flue-plate, and proceeds to 
another narrow one, between the flue-plate and the bottom 
of the stove, and thus is compressed and retained longer 
than if^ not impeded by these various contrivances. The 
heat and smoke also strike the plate obliquely, and thus, by 



ox STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 185 

reflection from its surface, im|3art more heat than if the pas- 
sage was a horizontal one. 

The external radiation is regulated by the use of non-con- 
ducting plaster applied to the flue-plate and to the sides of 
the corner-flues, so that the heat is prevented from radiating 
in any direction except toward the oven. The doors, sides, 
and bottom of the stove are lined with tin casings, which 
hold a stratum of air which is a non-conductor. These cas- 
inors are so arransjed as to be removed whenever the weather 
becomes cold, so that the heat may then radiate into the 
kitchen. The outer edges of the oven are also similarly pro- 
tected from loss of heat by tin casings and air-spaces, and 
the oven doors opening at the front of the stove are provided 
with the same economical savers of heat. Hisjh tin covers 
placed on the top prevent the heat from radiating from the 
top of the stove. These are exceedingly useful, as the space 
under them is well heated and arranged for baking, for heat- 
ing irons, and many other incidental necessities. Cake and 
pies can be baked on the top, while the oven is used for 
bread or for meats. When all the casings and covers are on, 
almost all the heat is confined within the stove; and when- 
ever heat for the room is wanted, opening the front oven 
doors turns it out into the kitchen. 

Another contrivance is that of ventilating-holes in the 
front doors, through which fresh air is brought into the oven. 
This secures several purposes: it carries ofl* the fumes of 
cooking meats, and prevents the mixing of flavors when dif- 
ferent articles are cooked in the oven ; it drives the heat that 
accumulates between the fire-box and front doors down 
around the oven, and equalizes its heat, so that articles need 
not be moved while baking; and lastly, as the air passes 
through the holes of the fire-box, it causes the burning of 
gases in the smoke, and thus increases heat. When wood 
or bituminous coal is used, perforated metal linings are put 
in the fire-box, and the result is the burning of smoke and 
gases that otherwise would pass into the chimney. This is 
a great discovery in the economy of fuel, which can be ap- 
plied in many ways. 

Heretofore most cooking-stoves have had dumping-grates, 



186 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

which are inconvenient from the dust produced, are uneco- 
nomical in the use of fuel, and disadvantageous from too 
many or too loose joints. But recently this stove has been 
provided with a dumping-grate which also will sift ashes, 
and can be cleaned without dust and the other objectionable 
features of most dumping-grates. 

Those who are taught to manage the stove properly keep 
the fire going all night, and equally well with wood or coal, 
thus saving the expense of kindling and the trouble of start- 
ing a new fire. When the fuel is of good quality, all that is 
needed in the morning is to draw the back-damper, shake the 
grate, and add more fueh 

Another remarkable feature of this stove is the extension- 
top, on which is placed a water reservoir, constantly heated 
by the smoke as it passes from the stove, through one or two 
uniting passages, to the smoke-i^ipe. Under this is placed a 
closet for warming and keeping hot the dishes, vegetables, 
meats, etc., while preparing for dinner. It is also very use- 
ful in drying fruit ; and when large baking is required, a 
small appended pot for charcoal turns it into a fine large 
oven, that bakes as nicely as a brick oven. 

Another useful appendage is a common tin oven, in which 
roasting can be done in front of the stove, the oven doors 
being removed for the purpose. The roast will be done as 
perfectly as by an open fire. 

This stove is furnished with pipes for heating water, like 
the water-back of ranges, and these can be taken or left out 
at pleasure. So also the top covers, the baking stool and 
pot, and the summer-back, bottom, and side-casings can be 
used or omitted as preferred. 

Fig. 39 exhibits the stove completed, with all its append- 
ages, as they might be employed in cooking for a large 
family. 

Its capacity, convenience, and economy as a stove may be 
estimated by the following fact : With proper management 
of dampers, one ordinary-sized coal-hod of anthracite coal 
will, for twenty-four hours, keep the stove running, keep 
seventeen gallons of water hot at all hours, bake pies and 
puddings in the warm closet, heat flat-irons under the back 



ox STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 
Fiff. 39. 



187 




DOOR DAMfEB 



cover, boil tea-kettle and one pot tinder the front cover, bake 
bread in the oven, and cook a turkey in the tin roaster in 
front. The author has numerous friends Avho, after trying 
the best ranges, have dismissed them for this stove, and in 
two or three years cleared the whole expense by the saving 
of fuel. 

The remarkable durability of this stove is another eco- 
nomic feature ; for, in addition to its fine castings and nice- 
fitting workmanship, all the parts liable to burn out are so 
protected by linings, and other contrivances easily renewed, 
that the stove itself may pass from one generation to an- 
other, as do ordinary chimneys. The writer has visited in 
families where this stove had been in constant use for eight- 
een and twenty years, and w^as still as good as new. In 
most other families the stoves are broken, burned out, or 



188 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

thrown aside for improved patterns every four, five, or six 
years, and sometimes, to the knowledge of the writer, still 
oftener. 

Another excellent point is that, although it is so compli- 
cated in its various contrivances as to demand intelligent 
management in order to secure all its advantages, it also can 
be used satisfactorily even when the mistress and maid are 
equally careless and ignorant of its distinctive merits. To 
such it offers all the advantages of ordinary good stoves, and 
is extensively used by those who take»no pains to understand 
and apply its peculiar advantages. 

But the w^riter has managed the stove herself in all the 
details of cooking, and is confident that any housekeeper of 
common sense who is instructed properly, and who also aims 
to have her kitchen affairs managed with strict economy, 
can easily train any servant who is willing to learn, so as to 
gain the full advantages offered. And even without any in- 
structions at all except the printed directions sent with the 
stove, an intelligent w^oman can, by due attention, though 
not without, both manage it, and teach her children and 
servants to do likewise. And whenever this stove has fail- 
ed to give the highest satisfaction, it has been either be- 
cause the draught of the chimney was poor, or because the 
housekeeper was not apprised of its peculiarities, or be- 
cause she did not give sufiicient attention to the matter, or 
was not able or willing to superintend and direct its man- 
agement. 

The consequence has been that, in families where this 
stove has been understood and managed aright, it has saved 
nearly one-half of the fuel that would be used in ordinary 
stoves, constructed with the usual disregard of scientific and 
economic laws. And it is because we know this particular 
stove to be convenient, reliable, and economically efficient 
beyond ordinary experience, in the important housekeeping 
element of kitchen labor, that we devote to it so much space 
and pains to describe its advantageous points.* 

* A letter to the author, inclosing twenty-five cents for expense of time and 
correspondence, will secure a circular with further account and directions for 
using this stove. Direct — Care of Dr. G. H. Taylor, New York city. 



ON STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 189 



CHIMNEYS. 

One of the most serious evils in domestic life is often 
found in chimneys that will not properly draw the smoke of 
a fire or stove. Although chimneys have been building for 
a thousand years, the artisans of the present day seem 
strangely ignorant of the true method of constructing them 
so as always to carry smoke upward instead of downward. 
it is rarely the case that a large house is built in which there 
is not some flue or chimney which "will not draw." One 
of the reasons why the stove described as excelling all others 
is sometimes cast aside for a poorer one is, that it requires a 
properly constructed chimney, and multitudes of women do 
not know how to secure it. The writer in early life shed 
many a bitter tear, drawn forth by smoke from an ill-con- 
structed kitchen-chimney, and thousands all over the land 
can report the same experience. 

The followinsj are some of the causes and the remedies for 
this evil : 

The most common cause of poor chimney draughts is too 
large an opening for the fire-place, either too wide or too 
high in front, or having too large a throat for the smoke. 
In a lower story, the fire-place should not be larger than 
thirty inches wide, twenty-five inches high, and fifteen deep. 
In the story above, it should be eighteen inches square and 
fifteen inches deep. 

Another cause is too short a flue, and the remedy is to 
lengthen it. As a general rule, the longer the flue the 
stronger ,the draught ; but in calculating the length of a 
flue, reference must be had to side-flues, if any open into it. 
Where this is the case, the length of the main flue is to be 
considered as extending only from the bottom to the point 
where the upper flue joins it, and where the lower flue will 
receive air from the upper side flue. If a smoky flue can not 
be increased in length, either by closing an upper flue or 
lengthening the chimney, the fire-place must be contracted 
so that all the air near the fire will be heated and thus 
pressed upward. 

If a flue has more than one opening, in some cases it is 



190 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

impossible to secure a good draught. Sometimes it will 
work well, and sometimes it will not., The only safe rule is 
to have a separate flue to each fire. 

Another cause of poor draughts is too tight a room, so 
that the cold air from without can not enter to press the 
warm air up the chimney. The remedy is to admit a small 
current of air from without. 

Another cause is two chimneys in one room, or in rooms 
opening together, in which the draught in one is much 
stronscer than in the other. In this case the strons^er 
draught will draw away from the weaker. The remedy is, 
for each room to have a proper supply of outside air ; or, in 
a single room, to stop one of the chimneys. 

Another cause is the too close vicinity of a hill or build- 
ings higher than the top of the chimney, and the remedy for 
this is to raise the chimney. 

Another cause is the descent into unused fire-places of 
smoke from other chimneys near. The remedy is to close 
the throat of the unused chimney. 

Another cause is a door opening toward the fire-place on 
the same side of the room, so that its draught passes along 
the wall and makes a current that draws out the smoke. 
The remedy is to change the hanging of the door, so as to 
open another way. 

Another cause is strong winds. The remedy is a turn-cap 
on top of the chimney. 

Another cause is the roughness of the inside of a chim- 
ney, or projections which impede the passage of the smoke. 
Every chimney should be built of equal dimensions from 
bottom to top, with no projections into it, with as few bends 
as possible, and with the surface of the inside as smooth as 
possible. 

Another cause of poor draughts is openings into the chim- 
ney of chambers for stove-pipes. The remedy is to close 
them, or insert stove-pipes that are in use. 

Another cause is the falling out of brick in some part of 
the chimney so that outer air is admitted. The remedy is 
to close the opening. 

The draught of a stove may be aflfected by most of these 



ON STOVES AND CHIMNEYS. 1 01 

causes. It also demands tliat the fire-place have a tight fire- 
board, or that the throat be carefully filled. For neglect- 
ing this, many a good stove has been thrown aside and a 
poor one taken in its place. 

If all young women had committed to memory these 
causes of evil and their remedies, many a badly-built chim- 
ney might have been cured, and many smoke-drawn tears, 
sighs, ill tempers, and irritating words avoided. 

But there are dans^ers in this direction which demand 
special attention, ^here one flue has two stoves or fire- 
l^laces, in rooms one above the other, in certain states of the 
atmosphere, the lower room being the warmer, the colder 
air and carbonic acid in the room above will pass down into 
the lower room through the opening for the stove or the 
fire-place. 

This occurred not long since in a boarding-school, when 
the gas in a room above flowed into a lower one, and suffo- 
cated several to death. This room had no mode of ventila- 
tion, and several persons slept in it, and were thus stifled. 
Professor Brewer states a similar case in the family of a 
relative. An anthracite stove was used in the upj^er room ; 
and on one still, close night, the gas from this stove descend- 
ed through the flue and the opening into a room below, and 
stifled the sleepers. 



192 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AKD HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Fig. 40. 



ECONOMIC MODES OF BEAUTIFYING A HOME. 

The educating influence of works of natural beauty and of 
art can hiirdly be overestimated. Surrounded by such sug- 
gestions of the beautiful, and such reminders of history and 
art, children are constantly trained to correctness of taste 
and refinement of thought, and stimulated — sometimes to 
efforts at artistic imitation, always to the eager and intelli- 
gent inquiry about the scenes, the places, the incidents repre- 
sented. 

Just here, perhaps, we are met by some w^ho impatiently 
exclaim, " But I have no money to spare for any thing of this 
sort. I am condemned to an absolute bareness, and beauty in 
my case is not to be thought of." It is for such that some 
economic modes of beautifying a home are here suggested. 

The cornices to 
your windows can 
be simply strips of 
w^ood covered with 
paper to match the 
bordering of your 
room, and the lam- 
brequins, made of 
chintz like the 
lounge, could be 
trimmc'd with 
fringe or gimp of 
the same color. 
The patterns of 
these can be varied 
according to fancy, 
but simple designs 
are usually the pret- 
tiest. A tassel at 




194 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

the lowest point greatly improves the appearance of the 
entire curtain. 

The curtains can be made of plain white muslin, or some 
of the many styles that come for this purpose. If plain mus- 
lin is used, you can ornament them with hems an inch in 
width, in which insert a strip of gingham or chambray of the 
same color as your chintz. This will wash with the curtains 
without losing its color, or, should it fade, it can easily be 
drawn out and replaced. 

The influence of white-muslin curtains in giving an air of 
grace and elegance to a room is astonishing. White cur- 
tains really create a room out of nothing. No matter how 
coarse the muslin, so it be white and hang in graceful folds, 
there is a charm in it that supplies the want of multitudes 
of other things. 

The following is a sketch of a most attractive parlor, the 
owners being persons of taste and culture, and visited by the 
most wealthy and refined class, who are always delighted 
with its light, comfort, and beauty. In this parlor is the 
window. Fig. 40, page 192, with its lambrequins, and the win- 
dow covered with flowers and greens, Fig. 41. 

A straw matting, used six years, and still good. 

Cheap drab-colored rugs, bordered with green, in front of 
the fire and under the centre-table. The cheap wall-paper 
is drab and green, with heavy green border for cornice. On 
one side is this window adorned with creepers, brackets with 
flower-pots, and hanging-baskets, as at Fig. 41, page 193. 
The other (see Fig. 40) window has lambrequins made of an 
old green worsted dress lined with coarse unbleached cotton 
trimmed with green gimp, and the tassels home-made from 
remnants of the old green dress. Cheap wdiite lace with 
broad hems, in which strips of the green dress are drawn, 
complete the window outfit. 

On one side of the fire-place is a lounge made as illus- 
trated by Fig. 16, page 139; and ottomans around are also 
made as illustrated in the same chapter. All are covered 
with drab cotton cloth, and trimmed with green. 

Six chairs bought unpainted, and by the mistress of the 
house painted drab and green. Chromos and engravings in 



ECONOMIC MODES OF BEAUTIFYING A HOME. 



195 




Fisr. 43. 



Fig. 42. cheap and tasteful frames, as illus- 

trated in Figs. 42 and 43, adorn the 
walls, and German ivy and hanging- 
baskets of greens and flowers are in 
all tasteful arrangements. In cool 
weather a bright fire of dried wal- 
nut invites to a social gathering 
around its hospitable gleams, the 
fire-place being an open Franklin 
stove, so placed that its hearth is on 
a level with the floor, that there may 
be no cold feet. Such a stove unites 
economy with beauty and comfort. A prime charm of this 
room is its southern exposure, secu- 
ring sunshine all the year, never shut 
out with shades or blinds except in 
the hottest days. 

This lovely parlor was furnished 
with pictures and every other article 
for less than a hundred dollars, and 
was more beautiful and enjoyable 
than many of those which have de- 
manded thousands for their outfit. 

As a means of educating the inge- 
nuity and the taste, you can make for 

yourselves pretty rustic frames in various modes. Take a 
very thin board, of the right size and shape, for the founda- 
tion or " mat ;" saw out the inner oval or rectangular form 
to suit the picture. Nail on the edge a rustic frame made 
of branches of hard, seasoned wood, and garnish the corners 
with some pretty device ; such, for instance, as a cluster of 
acorns ; or, in place of the branches of trees, fasten on with 
glue small pine cones, with larger ones for corner ornaments. 
Or use the mosses of the wood or ocean shells for this pur- 
pose. It may be miore convenient to get the mat or inner 
molding from a framer, or have it made by your carpenter, 
with a groove behind to hold a glass. 

If you have in the house any broken-down arm-chair re- 
posing in the oblivion of the garret, draw it out — drive a 




196 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 




f-^ 



"Pig- 44. nail here and there to hold 

it firm — stuff and pad, and 
stitch the padding through 
with a long upholsterer's 
needle, and cover it with 
the chintz like your other 
furniture and you create an 
easy-chair. 

An ox -muzzle, flattened 
on one side and nailed to a 
board, as in Fig. 44, filled 
with spongy moss and feath- 
ery ferns, makes a lovely 
ornament ; while suspend- 
ed baskets holding cups 
or bowls of soil filled with 
drooping plants is another cheap ornament. A Ward case, 
which any ingenious boy can make of pine and common 
glass, is shown on the table at Fig. 41, page 193. It is a 
great source of enjoyment to children and invalids. The 
box at the bottom is to 
be lined with zinc, and 



have a hole for drainage 
covered with an inverted 
saucer, and there must be 
a door at one end. The 
soil must consist of bro- 
ken charcoal at bottom, 
two inches deep, and 
over this some soil made 
of one -fourth fine sand, 
one -fourth meadow soil 
from under fresh turf, and 
two - fourths wood soil 
from under forest -trees. 
In this plant all sorts of 
ferns and swamp grasses, ^^J 
and make a border of 
money-plant or periwin- 



Fisr. 45. 




THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 197 

kle. A bit of looking-glass, some shells, and bits of rock 
with a variety of mosses, flowers, and ferns that grow in the 
shade, can lend variety and beauty. Whien watering, set a 
pail under for it to drip into. It needs only to keep this 
moss always damp, and to sprinkle these ferns occasionally 
with a whisk-broom, to have a most lovely ornament for 
your room or hall. 

An old tin pan, painted green, with holes in the bottom, 
thus supplied with soil and ferns, makes a pretty parlor or- 
nament. Or, take a salt-box or fig-box, and fill them with 
soil and plants, and use for hanging-baskets. The Ward 
carse needs watering only once in two weeks, and most of 
these plants grow without sun in north windows. The fuch- 
sias flourish also in the shade, as do striped spider-wort, smi- 
lax, saxifrage, and samentosa or Wandering Jew. German 
ivy growing in suspended bottles of water is a cheap orna- 
ment, and slips of nasturtions and verbenas will grow in north 
windows all winter. A sponge filled with flax-seed, hung by 
a cord and kept wet, is another cheap ornament, as is also 
a carrot scooped out, after the small part is cut out and 
hung up, till its tall, graceful shoots will mingle with flowers 
placed in it. A sweet-potato in a bowl of water, or sus- 
pended by a knitting-needle run through it and laid in a 
bowl half full of water, makes a verdant ornament. The 
flowers for a Ward case, in a room without sun, are, ground 
pine, prince's pine, trailing arbutus, i3artridge - berry, eye- 
brights, mosses. Fig. 45 is a stand for flowers, made of roots 
scraped and varnished. 

Much of the beauty of furniture is secured by the tasteful 
combination of colors. There usually should be only two 
colors in addition to the white of the ceiling. Blue unites 
well with buif or corn color, or a yellow brown. Green 
combines well with drab, or white, or yellow. Scarlet or 
crimson unites well with gray or drab. 

Those who cultivate parlor plants need these cautions: 
Too much water and want of fresh air make plants grow 
pale and spindling; so give fresh air every day. Wash 
leaves when covered with dust. Change soil once a year, 
or water with liquid manure. Pluck faded flowers, as much 



198 ECONOMIC MODES OF BEAUTIFYING A HOME. 

strength of a plant goes to make seed. Pick off fading 
green leaves. If flowers are wanted, use small pots. Do 
not shut out the sun, w^iich human beings need as much as 
flowers. Use oil-cloth similar to the carpet, where flowers 
and sun abound. Shut out flies with wire netting in open 
windows, and also doors of the same. It costs much less 
than ill health and mournfully darkened rooms. " 



CARE OF HEALTH. 1C9 



CHAPTER VII. 

CAKE OF HEALTH. 

There is no point where a woman is more liable to suffer 
from a want of knowledge and experience than in reference 
to the health of a family committed to her care. Many a 
young lady who never had any charge of the sick; who 
never took any care of an infant; who never obtained infor- 
mation on these subjects from books, or from the experience 
of others ; in short, with little or no preparation, has found, 
herself the principal attendant in dangerous sickness, the 
chief nurse of a feeble infant, and the responsible guardian 
of the health of a whole family. 

The care, the fear, the perplexity of a woman suddenly 
called to these unwonted duties, none can realize till they 
themselves feel it, or till they see some young and anxious 
novice first attempting to meet such responsibilities. To a 
woman of age and experience these duties often involve a 
measure of trial and difficulty at«times deemed almost in- 
supportable ; how hard, then, must they press on the heart 
of the youTfg and inexperienced ! 

There is no really efficacious mode of preparing a w^oman 
to take a rational care of the health of a family, except by 
communicating that knowledge in regard to the construc- 
tion of the body and the laws of health which is the basis 
of the medical profession. Not that a woman should under- 
take the minute and extensive investigation requisite for a 
physician; but she should gain a general knowledge of first 
principles, as a guide to her judgment in emergencies W'hen 
she can rely on no other aid. 

With this end in view, in the preceding chapters some 
portions of the organs and functions of the human body have 
been presented, and others will now follow in connection 
with the practical duties which result from them. 

On the general subject of health, one recent discovery of 



200 



THE HOTJSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



science may here be introduced as having an important re- 
lation to every organ and function of the body, and as being 
one to which frequent reference will be made ; and that is, 
the nature and operation o^ cell-life. 

By the aid of the microscope, we can examine the minute 
construction of plants and animals, in which we discover 
contrivances and operations, if not so sublime, yet more won- 
derful and interesting, than the vast systems of worlds re- 
vealed by the telescope. 

By this instrument it is now seen that the first formation, 
as well as future changes and actions, of all plants and ani- 
mals are accomplished by means of small cells or bags con- 
taining various kinds of liquids. These cells are so minute 
that, of the smallest, some hundreds would not cover the dot 
of a printed i on this page. They are of diverse shapes and 
contents, and perform various different operations. 

The first formation of every animal is accomplished by the 
agency of cells, and may be illustrated 
by the egg of any bird or fowl. The 
exterior consists of a hard shell for pro- 
tection, and this is lined with a tough 
1^ skin, to which is fastened the yelk, 
(which means the yelloio^ by fibrous 
strings, as seen at a, «, in the diagram. 
In the yelk floats the germ-cMl,^, which 
is the point where the formation of the future animal com- 
mences. The yelk, being lighter than the white, rises up- 
ward, and the germ being still lighter, rises in the yelk. 
This is to bring both nearer to the vitalizing warmth of the 
brooding mother. 

New cells are gradually formed from the nourishing yelk 
around the germ, each being at first roundish in shape, and 
having a spot near the centre, called the nucleus. The rea- 
son why cells increase must remain a mystery until we can 
penetrate the secrets of vital force — probably forever. But 
the mode in which they multiply is as follows : The first 
change noticed in a cell, when warmed into vital activity, is 
the appearance of a second nucleus within it, while the cell 
gradually becomes oval in form, and then is drawn inward 




CARE OF HEALTH. 201 

at the middle, like an hour-glass, till the two sides meet. 
The two portions then divide, and two cells appear, each con- 
taining its own germinal nucleus". These both divide again 
in the same manner, proceeding in the ratio of 2, 4, 8, 16, 
and so on, until most of the yelk becomes a mass of cells. 

The central point of this mass, where the animal itself 
commences to appear, shows, first, a round-shaped figure, 
which soon assumes form like a pear, and then like a violin. 
Gradually the busy little cells arrange themselves to build 
up heart, lungs, brain, stomach, and limbs, for which the yelk 
and white furnish nutriment. There is a small bag of air fas- 
tened to one end inside of the shell ; and when the animal is 
complete, this air is taken into its lungs, life begins, and out 
walks little chick, all its powers prepared, and ready to run, 
eat, and enjoy existence. Then, as soon as the animal uses 
its brain to think and feel, and its muscles to move, the cells 
which have been made up into these parts begin to decay, 
while new cells are formed from the blood to take their 
place. Thus with life commences the constant process of 
decay and renewal all over the body. 

The liquid portion of the blood consists of material formed 
from food, air, and water. From this material the cells of 
the blood are formed: first, the Fig.4T. 

white cells, which are incom- 
plete in formation ; and then 
the red cells, which are com- 
pleted by the addition of the 
oxygen received from air in the 
lungs. Fig. 47 represents part 
of a magnified blood-vessel, «, 
a, in which the round cells are 
the white, and the oblong the 
red cells, floating in the blood. 
Surrounding the blood-vessels 
are the cells forming the adja- 
cent membrane, h 5, each having 
a nucleus in its centre. 

Cells have different powers of selecting and secreting di- 
verse materials from the blood. Thus, some secrete bile to 

9* 




202 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

carry to the liver, others secrete saliva for the month, others 
take up the tears, and still others take material for the brain, 
muscles, and all other organs. Cells also have a converting 
power — of taking one kind of matter from the blood, and 
changing it to another kind. They are minute chemical 
laboratories all over the body, changing materials of one 
kind to another form in which they can be made useful. 

Both animal and vegetable substances are formed of cells. 
But the vegetable cells take up and use unorganized, or sim- 
ple, natural matter ; whereas the animal cell only takes sub- 
stances already organized into vegetable or animal life, and 
then changes one compound into another of different propor- 
tions and nature. 

These curious facts in regard to cell-life have important 
relations to the general subject of the care of health, and 
also to the cure of disease, as will be noticed in following 
chapters. 

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 

There is another portion of the body which is so inti- 
mately connected with every other, that it is placed in this 
chapter as also having reference to every department in the 
general subject of the care of health. 

The body has no power to move itself, but is a collection 
of instruments to be used by the mind in securing various 
kinds of knowledge and enjoyment. The organs through 
which the mind thus operates are the brain and nerves. 
The opposite drawing (Fig. 48) represents them. 

The brain lies in the skull, and is divided into the large 
or upper brain, marked 1, and the small or lower brain, 
marked 2. From the brain runs the spinal marrow through 
the spine or backbone. From each side of the spine the 
large nerves run out into innumerable smaller branches to 
every portion of the body. The drawing shows only some 
of the larger branches. Those marked 3 run to the neck 
and organs of the chest ; those marked 4 go to the arms ; 
those below the arms, marked 3, go to the trunk ; those 
marked 5 go to the legs; and the lowest of all go to the 
pelvic organs. 



CARE OF HEALXn. 



203 



The brain and nerves con- 
sist of two kinds of nervous 
matter — the gray^ which is 
supposed to be the portion 
that oriorinates and controls a 
nervous fluid which imparts 
power of action; and the 
tohite, which seems to conduct 
this fluid to every part of the 
body. 

The brain and nervous sys- 
tem are divided into distinct 
portions, each having difler- 
ent oflices to perform, and 
each acting independently of 
the others ; as, for example, 
one portion is employed by 
the mind in thinking, and in 
feeling pleasurable or painful 
mental emotions; another in 
moving the muscles; while 
the nerves that run to the 
nose, ears, eyes, tongue, hands, 
and surface generally, are employed in seeing, hearing, smell- 
ing, tasting, and feeling all physical sensations. 

The back portion of the spinal marrow and the nerves 
that run from it are employed in sensation^ or the seiise of 
feeling. These nerves extend over the whole body, but are 
largely developed in the net -work of nerves in the skin. 
^\\^ front portion of the spinal marrow and its branches are 
employed in moving those muscles in all parts of the body 
which are controlled by the icill or choice of the mind. 
These are called the nerves of motion. 

The nerves of sensation and nerves of motion, although 
they start from difi*erent portions of the spine, are united in 
the same sheath or cover^tiW they terminate in the muscles. 
Thus, every muscle is moved by nerves of motion ; w^hile 
alongside of this nerve, in the same sheath, is a nerve of sen- 
sation. All the nerves of motion and sensation are connect- 




204 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

ed with those portions of the brain used when we think, feel, 
and choose. By this arrangement the mind Jcnows what is 
wanted in all parts of the body by means of the nerves of 
sensation, and then it acts by means of the nerves of motion. 

For example, when we feel the cold air on the skin, the 
nerves of sensation report to the brain, and thus to the mind, 
that the body is growing cold. The mind thus knows that 
more clothing is needed, and wills to have the eyes look for 
it, and the hands and feet move to get it. This is done by 
the nerves of sight and of motion. 

Next are the nerves of mvoluntary motion^ which move 
all those parts of the head, face, and body that are used in 
breathing, and in other operations connected with it. By 
these we continue to breathe when asleep, and whether we 
will to do so or not. There are also some of the nerves of 
voluntary motion that are mixed with these, which enable 
the mind to stop respiration, or to regulate it to a certain 
extent. But the mind has no power to stop it for any great 
length of time. 

There is another large and important system of nerves 
called the sympathetic or ganglionic system. It consists of 
small masses of gray and white nervous matter, that seem 
to be small brains with nerves running from them. These 
are called ganglia^ and are arranged on each side of the 
spine, while small nerves from the spinal marrow run into 
them, thus uniting the sympathetic system with the nerves 
of the spine. These ganglia are also distributed around in 
various parts of the interior of the body, especially in the 
intestines, and all the different ganglia are connected with 
each other by nerves, thus making one system. It is the 
ganglionic system that carries on the circulation of the 
blood, the action of the capillaries, lymphatics, arteries, and 
veins, together with the work of secretion, absorption, and 
most of the internal working of the body, which goes for- 
ward without any knowledge or control of the mind. 

Every portion of the body has nerves of sensation coming 
from the spine, and also branches of the sympathetic or gan- 
glionic system. The object of this is to form a sympathetic 
communication between the several parts of the body, and 



CARE OF HEALTH. 205 

also to enable the mind to receive, through the brain, some 
general knowledge of the state of the whole system. It is 
owing to this that, when one portion of the body is affected, 
other portions sympathize. For example, if one part of the 
body is diseased, the stomach may so sympathize as to lose 
all appetite until the disease is removed. 

All the operations of the nervous system are performed 
by the influence of the nervous fluid, which is generated in 
the gray portions of the brain and ganglia. Whenever a 
nerve is cut off" from its connection with these nervous cen- 
tres, its power is gone, and the part to which it ministered 
becomes lifeless and incapable of motion. 

The brain and nerves can be overworked, and can also 
sufier for w^ant of exercise, just as the muscles do. It is 
necessary for the perfect health of the brain and nerves that 
the several portions be exercised sufliciently, and that no 
part be exhausted by overaction. For example, the nerves 
of sensation may be very much exercised, and the nerves 
of motion have but little exercise. In this case, one will be 
weakened by excess of work, and the other by the w^ant of it. 

It is found by experience that the proper exercise of the 
nerves of motion tends to reduce any extreme susceptibility 
of the nerves of sensation. On the contrary, the neglect of 
such exercise tends to produce an excessive sensibility in 
the nerves of sensation. 

Whenever that part of the brain which is employed in 
thinking, feeling, and willing, is greatly exercised by hard 
study, or by excessive care or emotion, the blood tends to 
the brain to supply it with increased nourishment, just as it 
flows to the muscles when they are exercised. Over-exer- 
cise of this portion of the brain causes engorgement of the 
blood-vessels. This is sometimes indicated by pain, or by a 
sense of fullness in the head; but oftener the result is a de- 
bilitating drain on the nervous system, which depends for 
its supply on the healthful state of the brain. 

The brain has, as it were, a fountain of supply for the 
nervous fluid, which flows to all the nerves, and stimulates 
them to action. Some brains have a larger, and some a 
smaller fountain ; so that a degree of mental activity that 



206 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

* 

would entirely exhaust one, would make only a small and 
healthful drain upon another. 

The excessive use of certain portions of the brain tends to 
withdraw the nervous energy from other portions; so that 
when one part is debilitated by excess, another fails by 
neo-lect. For example, a person may so exhaust the brain- 
power in the excessive use of the nerves of motion by hard 
work, as to leave little for any other faculty. On the other 
hand, the nerves of feeling and thinking may be so used as 
to withdraw the nervous fluid from the nerves of motion, 
and thus debilitate the muscles. 

Some animal propensities may be indulged to such excess 
as to produce a constant tendency of the blood to a certain 
portion of the Jbrain and to the organs connected with it, 
and thus cause a constant and excessive excitement, which 
finally becomes a disease. Sometimes a paralysis of this 
portion of the brain results from such an entire exhaustion 
of the nervous fountain and of the overworked nerves. 

Thus, also, the thinking portion of the brain may be so 
overworked as to drain the nervous fluid from other por- 
tions, which become debilitated by the loss. And in this 
way, also, the overworked portion may be diseased or para- 
lyzed by the excess. 

Sometimes the intellect and feelings may be confined to 
one subject so exclusively as to cause mental derangement 
on that subject when sane in all other respects. This is 
called a monomania. 

The necessity for the equal de'celopinent of all portions of 
the brain by an appropriate exercise of all the faculties of 
mind and body, and the influence of this upon happiness, is 
the most important portion of this subject, and will be more 
directly exhibited in another chapter. 

The chief causes of debility of nerves, neuralgia, sciatica, 
and other diseases of the nerves, are exhaustion of the nerv- 
ous fountain by excess of study, or of labor, or of mental ex- 
citement of any kind. All excess of feeling, or of intellect- 
ual or physical labor, decreases the nerve centres or fount- 
ains of nervous supply. Diseases also, and often medicines, 
have the same eff'ect. 



CARE OF HEALTH. 207 

When the nerves are thus weakened their minute capilla- 
ries are not able to send forward the blood, and thus be- 
come swollen or congested, and then a change in the nerve 
substance follows. 

The remedy for this is to withdraw the blood from the 
congested nerves, and this is secured by exercising the mus- 
cles, thus drawing the blood from nerves to muscles. When 
the patient is much debilitated this exercise should be done 
by an operator, as in the passive exercises of the movement 
cure; for in such cases the nerves and brain would be still 
more w^eakened by voluntary exercise of the patient. This 
shows the great mistake often made by attempts to remedy 
weak nerves and brain that need rest, by voluntary exercise 
of the muscles. It also shows tlie mischief often done in 
schools where to high intellectual excitement is added vig- 
orous gymnastic exercises. 

The chief benefit of the movement cure, especially as con- 
ducted by Dr. George Taylor, of New York City, consists in 
various apparatus invented by him, by which various parts 
of the body can be exercised while the brain and nerves of 
the patient are at rest. By these contrivances the congested 
blood of the capillaries is drawn from the diseased part and 
all the healthful functions restored, while the patient is at 
rest as to any voluntary exertion of brain and nerves. When 
the strength will permit, voluntary exercises adapted to each 
case are combined with the passive movement efiected by 
an operator: 

The following: are the effects of the mechanical and in vol- 
untary movements by machinery or by an operator: 

They produce increased motion of particles, and so increase 
of absorption and nutrition. 

They increase contractile power in the capillaries, and thus 
remedy congestion. 

They direct nervous energy to defective parts and remove 
obstructions. 

They increase respiration, and thus increase the life-giving 
oxygen and animal heat, while they repress excess in other 
congested parts. 

They increase nutrition, and also the secretion and dis- 
charge of morbid matter from diseased or weakened parts. 



208 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER VIIL 

DOMESTIC EXERCISE. 

In a work which aims to influence women to train the 
young to honor domestic labor and to seek healthful exer- 
cise in home pursuits, there is special reason for explaining 
the construction of the muscles and their connection with 
the nerves, these being the chief organs of motion. 

The muscles, as seen by the naked eye, consist of very fine 
fibres or strings, bound up in smooth, silky casings of thin 
membrane. But each of these visible fibres or strings the 
microscope shows to be made up of still finer strings, num- 
berinsr from five to eischt hundred in each fibre. And each 
of these microscopic fibres is a series or chain of elastic cells, 
which are so minute that one hundred thousand would 
scarcely cover a capital O on this page. 

The peculiar property of the cells which compose the mus- 
cles is their elasticity, no other cells of the body having this 
property. At Fig. 49 is a diagram representing a micro- 
scopic muscular fibre, in which the cells are relaxed, as in 

Fig. 49. Fig. 50. 

a 



(XXXXXX) 



/ V VV Y VV\ 



\KkkKKK) 



the natural state of rest. But when the muscle contracts, 
each of its numberless cells in all its small fibres becomes 
widened, making each fibre of the muscle shorter and thick- 
er, as at Fig. 50. This explains the cause of the swelling 
out of muscles when they act. 

Every motion in every part of the body has a special mus- 
cle to produce it, and many have other muscles to restore 
the part moved to its natural state. The muscles that move 
or bend any part are called flexors^ and those that restore 
the natural position are called extensors. 



DOMESTIC EXERCISE. 



209 



Fig. 51 represents the muscles of the arm F!>,'.5i. 

after the skin and flesh are removed. They 
are all in smooth, silky cases, laid over each 
other, and separated both by the smooth 
membranes that encase them and by layers 
of fat, so as to move easily without interfer- 
ing with each other. They are fastened to 
the bones by strong tendons and cartilages ; 
and around the wrist, in the drawing, is 
shown a band of cartilage to confine them 
in place. The muscle marked 8 is the ex- 
tensor that straightens the fingers after they 
have been closed by a flexor on the other side 
of the arm. In like manner, each motion of 
the arm and fingers has onp muscle to pro- 
duce it and another to restore to the natural 
position. 

The muscles are dependent on the brain 
and nerves for power to move. It has been 
shown that the gray matter of the brain and 
spinal marrow furnishes the stimulating pow- 
er that moves the muscles, and causes sen- 
sations of touch on the skin, and the other 
sensations of the several senses. The white 
part of the brain and spinal marrow con- 
sists solely of conducting tubes to transmit 
this influence. Each of the minute fibrils of the muscles has 
a small conducting nerve connecting it with the brain or 
spinal marrow, and in this respect each muscular fibril is 
separate from every other. 

When, therefore, the mind wills to move a flexor muscle 
of the arm, the gray matter sends out the stimulus through 
the nerves to the cells of each individual fibre of that mus- 
cle, and they contract. When this is done, the nerve of 
sensation reports it to the brain and mind. If the mind de- 
sires to return the arm to its former position, then follows 
the willing, and consequent stimulus sent through the nerves 
to the corresponding muscle ; its cells contract, and the limb 
is restored. 



210 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 



Fie. 52. 



When the motion is a compound one, involving the action 
of several muscles at the same time, a multitude of impres- 
sions are sent back and forth to and from the brain through 
the nerves. But the person acting thus is unconscious of 
all this delicate and wonderful mechanism. He wills the 
movement, and instantly the requisite nervous power is sent 
to the required cells and fibres, and they perform the mo- 
tions required. Many of the muscles are moved by the sym- 
pathetic system, over which the mind has but little control. 
Among the muscles and nerves so intimately connected 
run the minute capillaries of the blood, which furnish nour- 
ishment to all. 

Fig. 52 represents an artery at or, which brings pure 
blood to a muscle from the heart. After meandering 
through the capillaries at c, to distribute 
oxygen and food from the stomach, the 
blood enters the vein, b, loaded with car- 
bonic acid and water taken up in the capil- 
laries, to be carried to the lungs or skin, and 
thrown out into the air. 

The manner in which the exercise of the 
muscles quickens the circulation of the 
blood will now be explained. The veins 
abound in every part of every muscle, and 
the large veins liave valves which prevent 
the blood from flowing backward. If the 
wrist is grasped tightly, the veins of the hand are imme- 
diately swollen. This is owing to the fact that the blood 
is prevented from flowing toward the heart by this press- 
ure, and by the vein-valves from returning into the arteries ; 
while the arteries themselves, being placed deeper down, 
are not so compressed, and continue to send the blood into 
the hand, and thus it accumulates. As soon as this press- 
ure is removed, the blood springs onward from the re- 
straint with accelerated motion. This same process takes 
place when any of the muscles are exercised. The con- 
traction of any muscle presses some of the veins, so that the 
blood can not flow the natural way, while the valves in 
the veins prevent its flowing backward. Meantime the 




DOMESTIC EXEECISE. 211 

arteries continue to press the blood along until the veins 
become swollen. Then, as soon as the muscle ceases its con- 
traction, the blood flows faster from the previous accumula- 
tion. 

If, then, we use a number of muscles, and use them strong- 
ly and quickly, there are so many veins afi*ected in this way 
as to quicken the whole circulation. The heart receives 
blood faster, and sends it to the lungs faster. Then the 
lungs work quicker, to furnish the oxygen required by the 
greater amount of blood. The blood returns with greater 
speed to the heart, and the heart sends it out with quicker 
action through the arteries to the capillaries. In the capil- 
laries, too, the decayed matter is carried off faster, and then 
the stomach calls for more food to furnish new and pure 
blood. Thus it is that exercise gives new life and nourish- 
ment to every part of the body. 

It is the universal law of the human frame that exercise is 
indispensable to the health of the several parts. Thus, if a 
blood-vessel be tied up, so as not to be used, it shrinks, and 
becomes a useless string; if a muscle be condemned to in- 
action, it shrinks in size and diminishes in power ; and thus 
it is also with the bones. Inactivity produces softness, 
debility, and unfitness for the functions they are designed to 
perform. 

Now, the nerves, like all other parts of the body, gain and 
lose strength according as they are exercised. If they have 
too much or too little exercise, they lose strength ; if they 
are exercised to a proper degree, they gain strength. When 
the mind is continuously excited, by business, study, or the 
imaginafion, the nerves of emotion and sensation are kept 
in constant action, while the nerves of motion are unem- 
ployed. If this is continued for a long time, the nerves of 
sensation lose their strength from overaction, and the nerves 
of motion lose their power from inactivity. In consequence, 
there is a morbid excitability of the nervous, and a debility 
of the muscular system, w^hich make all exertion irksome 
and wearisome. 

The only mode of preserving the health of these systems 
is to keep up in them an equilibrium of action. For this 



212 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

purpose, occupations must be sought which exercise the 
muscles and interest the mind ; and thus the equal action 
of both kinds of nerves is secured. This shows why exer- 
cise is so much more healthful and invigorating when the 
mind is interested than when it is not. As an illustration, 
let a person go shopping with a friend, and have nothing to 
do but look on. How soon do the continuous walking and 
standing weary ! But, suppose one, thus wearied, hears of 
the arrival of a very dear friend : she can instantly walk off 
a mile or two to meet her, without the least feeling of fa- 
tigue. By this is shown the importance of furnishing, for 
young persons, exercise in which they will take an interest. 
Long and formal walks, merely for exercise, though they do 
some good, in securing fresh air and some exercise of the 
muscles, would be of triple benefit if changed to amusing 
sports, or to the cultivation of fruits and flowers, in which it 
is impossible to engage without acquiring a great interest. 

It shows, also, why it is far better to trust to useful do- 
mestic exercise at home than to send a young person out to 
walk for the mere purpose of exercise. Young girls can 
seldom be made to realize the value of health, and the need 
of exercise to secure it, so as to feel much interest in walk- 
ing abroad, when they have no other object. But if they 
are brought up to minister to the comfort and enjoyment of 
themselves, and others by performing domestic duties, they 
will constantly be interested and cheered in their exercise 
by the feeling of usefulness and the consciousness of having 
performed their duty. 

There are few young persons, it is hoped, who are brought 
up with such miserable habits of selfishness and indolence 
that they can not be made to feel happier by the conscious- 
ness of being usefully employed. And those who have 
never been accustomed to think or care for any one but 
themselves, and who seem to feel little pleasure in making 
themselves useful, by wise and proper influences can often 
be gradually awakened to the new pleasure of benevolent 
exertion to promote the comfort and enjoyment of others. 
And the more this sacred and elevating kind of enjoyment 
is tasted, the greater is the relish induced. Other enjoy- 



DOMESTIC EXERCISE. 213 

ments often cloy; but the heavenly pleasure secured by 
virtuous industry and benevolence, while it satisfies at the 
time, awakens fresh desires for the continuance of so enno- 
bling a good. 

It is an interesting illustration of the benevolence and 
wisdom of our Maker, that the appropriate duties of the 
family, uniting intellectual, social, and moral with both sed- 
entary and active pursuits, are exactly fitted to employ 
every faculty in a healthful proportion. And it is a sad 
violation of the laws of health to so divide family employ- 
ments that one class use muscle too much, and the other the 
brain to excess. 



214 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER IX. 

HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 

The person who decides what shall be the food and drink 
of a family, and the modes of its preparation, is the one who 
decides, to a greater or less extent, what shall be the health 
of that family. It is the opinion of most medical men that 
intemperance in eating is one of the most fruitful of .all 
causes of disease and death. If this be so, the woman who 
wisely adapts the food and cooking of her family to the laws 
of health removes one of the greatest risks which threatens 
the lives of those under her care. But, unfortunately, there 
is no other duty that has been involved in more doubt and 
perplexity. Were one to believe all that is said and written 
on this subject, the conclusion probably would be, that there 
is not one solitary article of food on God's earth which it is 
healthful to eat. Happily, however, there are general prin- 
ciples on this subject which, if understood and applied, will 
prove a safe guide to any woman of common sense ; and it 
is the object of the present chapter to set forth these princi- 
ples. 

All material things on earth, whether solid, liquid, or gas- 
eous, can be resolved into sixty-two simple substances, only 
fourteen of which are in the human body ; and these, in cer- 
tain proportions, in all mankind. 

Thus, in a man weighing 154 lbs. are found 111 lbs. oxy- 
gen gas and 14 lbs. hydrogen gas, which, united, form water; 
21 lbs. carbon ; 3 lbs. 8 oz. nitrogen gas; 1 lb. 12 oz. 190 gj^. 
phosphorus ; 2 lbs. calcium, the chief ingredient of bones ; 2 
oz. fluorine; 2 oz. 219 grs. sulphur; 2 oz. 47 grs. chlorine; 2 
oz. 116 grs. sodium; 100 grs. iron; 290 grs. potassium; 12 
grs. magnesium ; and 2 grs. silicon. 

These simple substances are constantly passing out of the 
body through the lungs, skin, and other excreting organs. 

It is found that certain of these simple elements are used 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 215 

for one part of the body and others for other parts, and this 
in certain regular proportions. Thus, carbon is the chief el- 
ement of fat, and also supplies the fuel that combines with 
oxygen in the capillaries to produce animal heat. The ni- 
trogen which we gain from our food and the air is the chief 
element of muscle; phosphorus is the chief element of brain 
and nerves ; and calcium or lime is the hard portion of the 
bones. Iron is an important element of blood ; and silicon 
supplies the hardest parts of the teeth, nails, and hair. 

Water, w^hich is composed of the two gases oxygen and 
hydrogen, is the largest portion of the body, forming its flu- 
ids; there is four times as much of carbon as there is of 
nitrogen in the body; while there is only two per cent, as 
much phosphorus as carbon. A man weighing one hundred 
and fifty-four pounds, who leads an active life, takes into his 
stomach daily from two to three pounds of solid food, and 
from five to six pounds of liquid. At the same time he 
takes into his lungs, daily, four or five thousand gallons of 
air. This amounts to three thousand pounds of nutriment 
received through stomach and lungs, and then expelled from 
the body, in one year; or about twenty times the man's own 
weight. 

It is found that the simple elements will not nourish the 
body in their natural state, but only when organized, either 
as vegetable or animal food ; and, to the dismay of the Gra- 
hamite or vegetarian school, it is now established by chem- 
ists that animal and vegetable food contain the same ele- 
ments, and in nearly the same proportions. 

Thus, in animal food, carbon predominates in fats, while in 
vegetable food it shows itself in sugar, starch, and vegeta- 
ble oils. Nitrogen is found in animal food in the albumen, 
fibrine, and caseine ; while in vegetables it is in gluten, al- 
bumen, and caseine. 

It is also a curious fact that, in all articles of food, the ele- 
ments that nourish diverse parts of the body are divided 
into separable portions, and also that the proportions corre- 
spond in a great degree to the wants of the body. For ex- 
ample, a kernel of wheat contains all the articles demanded 
for every part of the body. Fig. 53 represents, upon an en- 




216 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

larged scale, the position and proportions of the chief ele- 
Y\<r,m ments required. The white central part is the 
largest in quantity, and is chiefly carbon in the 
form of starch, which supplies fat and fuel for the 
capillaries. The shaded outer portion is chiefly 
nitrogen, which nourishes the muscles ; and the 
dark spot at the bottom is principally phosphorus, 
which nourishes the brain and nerves. And these 
elements are in due proportion to the demands of 
the body. A portion of the outer covering of a wheat-kerne^ 
holds lime, silica, and iron, which are needed by the body, and 
which are found in no other part of the grain. The woody 
fibre is not digested, but serves, by its bulk and stimulating 
action, to facilitate digestion. It is, therefore, evident that 
bread made of unbolted flour is more healthful than that 
made of superfine flour. For the process of bolting removes 
all the woody fibre ; the lime needed for the bones ; the silica 
for. hair, nails, and teeth ; the iron for the blood ; and most 
of the nitrogen and phosphorus needed for muscles, brain, and 
nerves. 

Experiments on animals prove that fine flour alone, which 
is chiefly carbon, will not sustain life more than a month, 
while unbolted flour furnishes all that is needed for every 
pai't of the body. There are cases where persons can not 
use such coarse bread, on account of its irritating action on 
inflamed coats of the stomach. For such, a kind of wheaten 
grit is provided, containing all the kernel of the wheat, ex- 
cept the outside woody fibre. 

From these statements it may be seen that one of the 
chief mistakes in providing food for families has been in 
changing the proportions of the elements nature has fitted 
for our food. Thus, fine wheat is deprived by bolting of 
some of the most important of its nourishing elements, leav- 
ing carbon chiefly, which, after supplying fuel for the capil- 
laries, must, if in excess, be sent out of the body ; thus need- 
lessly taxing all the excreting organs. So milk, which con- 
tains all the elements needed by the body, has the cream 
taken out and used for butter, which again is chiefly carbon. 
Then, sugar and molasses, cakes and candies, are chiefly car- 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DKINKS. 217 

bon, and supply but very little of other nourishing elements, 
while, to make them safe, much exercise in cold and pure air 
is necessary. And yet it is the children of the rich, housed 
in chambers and school-rooms most of their time, who are 
fed with these dangerous dainties, thus weakening their con- 
stitutions, and inducing fevers, colds, and many other diseases. 

The proper digestion of food depends on the wants of the 
body, and on its power of appropriating the aliment sup- 
plied. The best of food can not be properly digested when 
it is not needed. All that the system requires will be used, 
and the rest will be thrown out by the several excreting or- 
gans, which thus are frequently overtaxed, and vital forces 
are wasted. Even food of poor quality may digest well if 
the demands of the system are urgent. The way to increase 
digestive power is to increase the demand for food by pure 
air and exercise of the muscles, quickening the blood, and 
arousing the whole system to a more rapid and vigorous 
rate of life. 

We are now ready to consider intdligently the following 
general principles in regard to the proper selection of food : 

Vegetable and animal food are equally healthful if appor- 
tioned to the given circumstances. 

In cold weather, carbonaceous food, such as butter, fats, 
sugar, molasses, etc., can be used more safely than in warm 
weather. And they can be used more safely by those who 
exercise in the open air than by those of confined and seden- 
tary habits. 

Students w^ho need food with little carbon, and w^omen 
who live in the house, should always seek coarse bread, fruits, 
and lean meats, and avoid butter, oils, sugar, and molasses, 
and articles containing them. 

Many students and women using little exercise in the open 
air grow thin and weak, because the vital powers are ex- 
hausted in throwing off excess of food, especially of the car- 
bonaceous. The liver is especially taxed in such cases, be- 
ing unable to remove all the exx^ess of carbonaceous matter 
from the blood, and thus "biliousness" ensues, particularly 
on the approach of warm weather, when the air brings less 
oxygen than in cold. 

10 



218 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

It is found, by experiment, that the supply of gastric juice, 
furnished from the blood by the arteries of the stomach, is 
proportioned, not to the amount of food put into the stom- 
ach, but to the wants of the body ; so that it is possible to 
put much more into the stomach than can be digested. To 
guide and regulate in this matter, the sensation called hioi- 
ger is provided. In a healthy state of the body, as soon as 
the blood has lost its nutritive supplies, the craving of hun- 
o-er is felt, and then, if the food is suitable, and is taken in 
the proper manner, this sensation ceases as soon as the stom- 
ach has received enough to supply the wants of the system. 
But our benevolent Creator, in this as in our other duties, has 
connected enjoyment with the operation needful to sustain 
our bodies. In addition to the allaying of hunger, the gratifi- 
cation of the palate is secured by the immense variety of food, 
some articles of which are far more agreeable than others. 

This arrangement of Providence, designed for our happi- 
ness, has become, either through ignorance or want of self- 
control, the chief cause of the many diseases and sufierings 
which afflict those classes who have the means of seeking a 
variety to gratify the palate. If mankind had only one ar- 
ticle of food, and only water to drink, though they would 
have less enjoyment in eating, they would never be tempted 
to put any more into the stomach than the calls of hunger 
require. But the customs of society, Avhich present an inces- 
sant change, and a great variety of food, with those various 
condiments which stimulate appetite, lead almost every per- 
son very frequently to eat merely to gi*atify the palate, after 
the stomach has been abundantly supplied, so that hunger 
has ceased. 

When too great a supply of food is put into the stomach, 
the gastric juice dissolves only that portion which the wants 
of the system demand. Most of the remainder is ejected in 
an unprepared state ; the absorbents take portions of it into 
the system ; and all the various functions of the body, which 
depend on the ministries of the blood, are thus gradually 
and imperceptibly injured. Very often, intemperance in 
eating produces immediate results, such as colic, headaches, 
pains of indigestion, and vertigo. 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DKINKS. 



219 



But the more general result is a gradual undermining of 
all parts of the human frame ; thus imperceptibly shorten- 
ing life, by so weakening the constitution that it is ready to 
yield, at every point, to any uncommon risk or exposure. 
Thousands and thousands are passing out of the world, from 
diseases occasioned by exposures which a healthy constitu- 
tion could meet without any danger. It is owing to these 
considerations that it becomes the duty of every woman who 
has the responsibility of providing food for a family to avoid 
a variety of tempting dishes. It is a much safer guide to 
have only one kind of healthy food for each meal, rather than 
the too abundant variety which is often met at the tables of 
almost all classes in this country. When there is to be any 
variety of dishes, they ought not to be successive, but so ar- 
ranged as to give the opportunity of selection. How often 
is it the case that persons, by the appearance of a favorite 
article, are tempted to eat merely to gratify the palate, w^hen 
the stomach is already adequately supplied. All such intem- 
perance wears on the constitution, and shortens life. It not 
unfrequently happens that excess in eating produces a mor- 
bid appetite, which must constantly be denied. 

But the orsianization of the digcestive oro-ans demands not 
only that food should be taken in proper quantities, but that 
it be taken at proper times. 

Fig. 54 shows one important feature of the digestive or- 
gans relating to this Fig. 54. 
point. The part mark- 
ed L M shows the mus- 
cles of the inner coat 
of the stomach, which 
run in one direction, 
and C M shows the 
muscles of the outer 
coat, running in an- 
other direction. 

As soon as the food 
enters the stomach, 
the muscles are excited by the nerves, and the jjeristaUic mo- 
tion commences : this is a powerful and constant exercise of 




220 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

the muscles of the stomach, which continues until the process 
of digestion is complete. "During this time the blood is with- 
drawn from other parts of the system, to supply the demands 
of the stomach, which is laboring hard with all its muscles. 
When this motion ceases, and the digested food has gradually 
passed out, nature requires that the stomach should have a 
period of repose. And if another meal be eaten immediately 
after one is digested, the stomach is set to work again before 
it has had time to rest, and before a sufficient supply of gas- 
tric juice is provided. 

The general rule, then, is, that three -hours be given to 
the stomach for labor, and two for rest ; and in obedience 
to this, live hours, at least, ought to elapse between every 
two regular meals. In cases where exercise produces a flow 
of perspiration, more food is needed to supply the loss ; and 
strong laboring men may safely eat as often as they feel the 
want of food. So, young and healthy children, who gambol 
and exercise much, and whose bodies grow fast, may have a 
more frequent supply of food. But, as a general rule, meals 
should be five hours apart, and eating between meals avoid- 
ed. There is nothing more unsafe and wearing to the con- 
stitution than a habit of eating at any time merely to gratify 
the palate. When a tempting a^'ticle is presented, every per- 
son should exercise sufficient self-denial to wait till the prop- 
er time for eating arrives. Children, as well as grown per- 
sons, are often injured by eating between their regular meals, 
thus weakening the stomach by not aflbrding it any time for 
rest. 

As a general rule, the quantity of food actually needed by 
the body depends on the amount of muscular exercise taken. 
A laboring man in the open fields probably throws off from 
his skin and lungs a much larger amount than a person of 
sedentary pursuits. In consequence of this, he demands a 
greater amount of food and drink. 

Those persons who keep their bodies in a state of health 
by sufficient exercise can always be guided by the calls of 
hunger. They can eat when they feel hungry, and stop 
when hunger ceases; and thus they will calculate exactly 
right. But the difficulty is, that a large part of the com- 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 221 

munity, especially women, are so -inactive in their habits 
that they seldom feel the calls of hunger. They habitually 
eat, merely to gratify the palate. This produces such a 
state of the system that they lose the guide which Nature 
has provided. They are not called to eat by hunger, nor 
admonished, by its cessation, when to stop. In consequence 
of this, such persons eat what pleases the palate, till they 
feel no more inclination for the article. It is probable that 
three-fourths of the women in the wealthier circles sit down 
to each meal without any feeling of hunger, and eat mere- 
ly on account of the gratification thus afforded them. Such 
persons find their appetite to depend almost solely upon the 
kind of food on the table. This is not the case with those 
who take the exercise which IsTature demands. They ap- 
proach their meals in such a state that almost any kind of 
food is acceptable. 

Persons who have a strong constitution, and take much 
exercise, may eat almost any thing with apparent impunity; 
but young children who are forming their constitutions, and 
persons who are delicate and who take but little exercise, 
are very dependent for health on a proj^er selection of food. 

It is found that there are some kinds of food which afford 
nutriment to the blood, and do not produce any other effect 
on the system. There are other kinds which are not only 
nourishing, but stimidcUing^ so that they quicken the func- 
tions of the organs on which they operate. The condiments 
used in cookery, such as pepper, mustard, and spices, are of 
this nature. There are certain states of the system when 
these stimulants may be beneficial; such cases can only be 
pointed out by medical men. 

Persons in perfect health, and especially young children, 
never receive any benefit from such kind of food; and just 
in proportion as condiments operate to quicken the labors 
of the internal organs, they tend to wear down their powers. 
A person who thus keeps the body working under an un- 
natural excitement lives faster than Nature designed, and 
the constitution is worn out just so much the sooner. A 
woman, therefore, should provide dishes for her family which 
are free from these stimulatinsr condiments. 



222 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

In regard to articles which are the most easily digested, 
only general rules can be given. Tender meats are digested 
more readily than those which are tough, or than many kinds 
of vegetable food. The farinaceous articles, such as rice, 
flour, corn, potatoes, and the like, are the most nutritious, 
and most easily digested. The popular notion, that meat is 
more nourishing than bread, is a great mistake. Good bread 
contains more nourishment than butcher's meat. The meat 
is more stimulating^ and for this reason is more readily di- 
gested. 

A j^erfectly healthy stomach can digest almost any health- 
ful food; but when the digestive powers are weak, every 
stomach has its peculiarities, and what is good for one is 
hurtful to another. In such cases, experiment alone can 
decide which are the most digestible articles of food. A 
person whose food troubles him must deduct one article af- 
ter another, till he learns by experience which is the best 
for digestion. Much evil has been done by assuming that 
the powers of one stomach are to be made the rule in regu- 
lating every other. 

The most unhealthful kinds of food are those which are 
made so by bad cooking ; such as sour and heavy bread, 
cakes, pie-crust, and other dishes consisting of fat mixed and 
cooked with flour. Rancid butter and high-seasoned food 
are equally unwholesome. The fewer mixtures there are in 
cooking, the more healthful is the food likely to be. 

There is one caution as to the mode of eating which seems 
peculiarly needful to Americans. It is indisjDcnsable to good 
digestion that food be well chewed and taken slowly. It 
needs to be thoroughly chewed and mixed with saliva, in 
order to prepare it for the action of the gastric juice, which, 
by the peristaltic motion, -will be thus brought into contact 
with every one of the minute portions. It has been found 
that a solid lump of food requires much more time and la- 
bor of the stomach for disjestion than divided substances. 

It has also been found that as each bolus, or mouthful, 
enters the stomach, the latter closes, until the portion re- 
ceived has had some time to move around and combine with 
the gastric juice, and that the orifice of the stomach resists 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 223 

the entrance of any more till this is accomplished. But, if 
the eater persists in swallowing fast, the stomach yields ; the 
food is then poured in more rapidly than the organ can per- 
form its duty of preparative digestion, and evil results are 
sooner or later developed. This exhibits the folly of those 
hasty meals so common to travelers and to men of business, 
and shows Avhy children should be taught to eat slowly. 

After taking a full meal, it is very important to health 
that no great bodily or mental exertion be made till the la- 
bor of the stomach is over. Intense mental effort draws the 
blood to the head, and muscular exertions draw it to the 
muscles ; and in consequence of this, the stomach loses the 
supply which it requires when performing its office. When 
the blood with its stimulating effects is thus withdrawn 
from the stomach, the adequate supply of gastric juice is 
not afforded, and indigestion is the result. The heaviness 
which follows a full meal is the indication which Nature 
gives of the need of quiet. When the meal is moderate, a 
sufficient quantity of gastric juice is exuded in an hour, or 
an hour and a half; after which, labor of body and mind 
may safely be resumed. 

Extremes of heat or cold are injurious to the process of 
digestion. Taking hot food or drink habitually, tends to 
debilitate all the organs thus needlessly excited. In using 
cold substances, it is found that a certain degree of warmth 
in the stomach is indispensable to their digestion; so that 
when the gastric juice is cooled below this temperature it 
ceases to act. Indulging in large quantities of cold drinks, 
or eating ice-creams, after a meal, tends to reduce the tem- 
perature of the stomach, and thus to stop digestion. This 
shows the folly of those refreshments, in convivial meetings, 
where the guests are tempted to load the stomach with a 
variety such as would require the stomach of a stout farmer 
to digest ; and then to wind up with ice-creams, thus lessen- 
ing whatever ability might otherwise have existed to digest 
the heavy load. The fittest temperature for drinks, if taken 
when the food is in the digesting process, is blood-heat. 
Cool drinks, and even ice, can be safely taken at other times, 
if not in excessive quantity. When the thirst is excessive. 



224 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

or the body Aveakened by fatigue, or when in a state of per- 
spiration, large quantities of cold drinks are injurious. 

Fluids taken into the stomach are not subject to the slow 
process of digestion, but are immediately absorbed and car- 
ried, into the blood. This is the reason why liquid nourish- 
ment more speedily than solid food, restores from exhaust- 
ion. The minute vessels of the stomach absorb its fluids, 
which are carried into the blood, just as the minute extremi- 
ties of the arteries open upon the inner surface of the stom- 
ach, and there exude the gastric juice from the blood. 

Hio-hly-concentrated food, having much nourishment in a 
small bulk, is not favorable to digestion, because it can not 
be properly acted on by the muscular contractions of the 
stomach, and is not so minutely divided as to enable the 
gastric juice to act properly. This is the reason why a cer- 
tain hulk of food is needful to good digestion ; and why 
those people who live on whale-oil and other highly nourish- 
ing: food, in cold climates, mix vesretables and even sawdust 
with it, to make it more acceptable and digestible. So in 
civilized lands, fruits and vegetables are mixed with more 
highly concentrated nourishment. For this reason, also, 
soups, jellies, and arrow-root should have bread or crackers 
mixed with them. This affords another reason why coarse 
bread, of unbolted wheat, so often proves beneficial. Where, 
from inactive habits or other causes, the bowels become con- 
stipated, and sluggish, this kind of food proves the appro- 
priate remedy. 

One fact on this subject is worthy of notice. In England, 
under the administration of William Pitt, for two years or 
more there was such a scarcity of wheat that, to make it 
hold out longer. Parliament passed a law that the army 
should have all their bread made of unbolted flour. The 
result was, that the health of the soldiers improved so much 
as to be a subject of surprise to themselves, the officers, and 
the physicians. These last came out publicly and declared 
that the soldiers never before were so robust and healthy ; 
and that disease had nearly disappeared from the army. 
The civic physicians joined and pronounced it the healthiest 
bread ; and for a time schools, families, and public institu- 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DKINKS. 225 

tions used it almost exclusively. Even the nobility, con- 
vinced by these facts, adopted it for their common diet, and 
the fashion continued a long time after the scarcity ceased, 
until more luxurious habits resumed their sway. 

We thus see why children should not have cakes and can- 
dies allowed them between meals. Besides being largely 
carbonaceous, these are highly concentrated nourishments, 
and should be eaten with more bulky and less nourishing 
substances. The most indigestible of all kinds of food are 
fatty and oily substances, if heated. It is on this account 
that pie-crust and articles boiled and fried in fat or butter 
are deemed not so healthful as other food. 

The following, then, may be put down as the causes of a 
debilitated constitution from the misuse of food: Eating 
too much, eating too often, eating too fast, eating food and 
condiments that are too stimulating, eating food that is too 
%oarin or too cold, eating food that is highly concentrated, 
without a proper admixture of less nourishing matter, and 
eating hot food that is difficult of digestion. 

It is a point fully established by experience that the full 
development of the human body and the vigorous exercise 
of all its functions can be secured without the use of stimu- 
lating drinks. It is, therefore, perfectly safe to bring up 
children never to use them, no hazard being incurred by 
such a course. 

It is also found by experience that there are'tw^o evils in- 
curred by the use of stimulating drinks. The first is, their 
positive effect on the human system. Their peculiarity con- 
sists in so exciting the nervous system that all the functions 
of the body are accelerated, and the fluids are caused to 
move quicker than at their natural speed. This increased 
motion of the animal fluids always produces an agreeable 
effect on the mind. The intellect is invigorated, the imagi- 
nation is excited, the spirits are enlivened ; and these effects 
are so agreeable that all mankind, after having once experi- 
enced them, feel a great desire for their repetition. 

But this temporary invigoration of the system is always 
followed by a diminution of the powers of the stimulated 
organs ; so that, though in all cases this reaction may not be 

10* 



226 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

perceptible, it is invariably the result. It may be set down 
as the unchangeable rule of physiology, that stimulating 
drinks deduct from the powers of the constitution in exactly 
the proportion in which they operate to produce temporary 
invigoration. 

The second evil is the temptation which always attends 
the use of stimulants. Their effect on the system is so 
agreeable, and the evils resulting are so imperceptible and 
distant, that there is a constant tendency to increase such 
excitement, both in frequency and power; and the more 
the system is thus reduced in strength, the more craving is 
the desire for that which imparts a temporary invigoration. 
This process of increasing debility and increasing craving 
for the stimulus that removes it, often goes to such an ex- 
treme that the passion is perfectly uncontrollable, and mind 
and body perish under this baleful habit. 

In this country there are three forms in which the use of 
such stimulants is common ; namely, alcoholic drinks^ opium 
mixtures, and tobacco. These are all alike in the main pecul- 
iarity of imparting that extra stimulus to the system w^hich 
tends to exhaust its powers. 

Multitudes in this nation are in the habitual use of some 
one of these stimulants ; and each person defends the indul- 
gence by certain arguments : 

First, that the desire for stimulants is a natural propensity 
iinplanted in man's nature, as is manifest from the universal 
tendency to such indulgences in every nation. From this 
It is inferred that it is an innocent desire, which ought to be 
gratified to some extent, and that the aim should be to keep 
it within the limits of temperance, instead of attempting to 
exterminate a natural propensity. 

This is an argument which, if true, makes it equally prop- 
er for not only men, but women and children, to use opium, 
brandy, or tobacco as stimulating principles, provided they 
are used temperately. But if it be granted that perfect 
health and strength can be gained and secured without these 
stimulants, and that their peculiar effect is to diminish the 
power of the system in exactly the same proportion as they 
stimulate it, then there is no such thing as a temjDcrate use, 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 227 

unless they are so diluted as to destroy any stimulating 
power ; and in this form they are seldom desired. 

The other argument for their use is, that they are among 
the good things provided by the Creator for our gratifica- 
tion ; that, like all other blessings, they are exposed to abuse 
and excess ; and that we should rather seek to regulate their 
use than to banish them entirely. 

This argument is based on the assumption that they are, 
like healthful foods and drinks, necessary to life and health, 
and injurious only by excess. But this is not true; for 
whenever they are used in any such strength as to be a 
gratification, they operate to a greater or less extent as stim- 
ulants, and to just such extent they w^ear out the powers 
of the constitution ; and it is abundantly proved that they 
are not, like food and drink, necessary to health. Such ar- 
ticles are designed for medicine, and not for common use. 
There can be no argument framed to defend the use of one 
of them which will not justify women and children in most 
dangerous indulgences. 

There are some facts recently revealed by the microscope 
in regard to alcoholic drinks which every woman should 
understand and regard. It has been shown in a previous 
chapter that every act of mind, either by thought, feeling, * 
or choice, causes the destruction of certain cells in the brain 
and nerves. It now is proved by microscopic science* that 
the kind of nutrition furnished to the brain by the blood to 
a certain extent decides future feelings, thoughts, and voli- 
tions. The cells of the brain not only abstract fr^m the 
blood the healthful nutrition, but also are aifected in shape, 
size, color, and action by unsuitable elements in the blood. 
This is especially the case when alcohol is taken into the 
stomach, from whence it is always carried to the brain. The 
consequence is, that it affects the nature and action of the 
brain-cells, until a habit is formed which is automatic ; that 
is, the mind loses the power of controlling the brain in its 
development of thoughts, feelings, and choices as it would 
in the natural state, and is itself controlled by the brain. 

* For these statements the writer is indebted to Maudsley, a recent writev 
on Microscopic Physiology. 



228 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

In this condition a real disease of the brain is created, called 
oino-mania^ and the only remedy is total abstinence, and 
that for a long period, from the alcoholic poison. And what 
makes the danger more fearful is, that the brain-cells never 
are so renewed but that this pernicious stimulus will bring- 
back the disease in full force, so that a man once subject to 
it is never safe except by maintaining perpetual and total 
abstinence from every kind of alcoholic drink. Dr. Day, who 
for many years has had charge of an inebriate asylum, states 
that he witnessed the dissection of the brain of a man once 
an inebriate, but for many years in practice of total absti- 
nence, and found its cells still in the weak and unnatural 
state produced by earlier indulgences. 

There has unfortunately been a difference of opinion 
among medical men as to the use of alcohol. Liebig, the 
celebrated writer on animal chemistry, having found that 
both sugar and alcohol were heat-producing articles of food, 
framed a theory that alcohol is burned in the lungs, giving 
off carbonic acid and water, and thus serving to warm the 
body. But modern science has proved that it is in the cap- 
illaries that animal heat is generated, and it is believed that 
alcohol lessens instead of increasing the power of the body 
to bear the cold. Sir John Ross, in his Arctic voyage, proved 
by his own experience and that of his men that cold-water 
drinkers could bear cold longer and were stronger than any 
who used alcohol. 

Carpenter, a standard writer on physiology, says the ob- 
jection to a habitual use of even small quantities of alco- 
holic drinks is, that " they are universally admitted to pos- 
sess a poisonous character," and " tend to produce a morbid 
condition of body ;" while " the capacity for enduring ex- 
tremes of heat and cold, or of mental or bodily labor, is di- 
minished rather than increased by their habitual employ- 
ment." 

Professor J. Bigelow, of Harvard University, says: "Alco- 
hol is highly stimulating, heating, and intoxicating, and its 
effects are so fascinating that when once experienced there 
is danger that the desire for them may be perpetuated." 

Dr. Bell and Dr. Churchill, both high medical authorities. 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DRINKS. 229 

especially in lung disease, for which whisky is often recom- 
mended, come to the conclusion that " the opinion that alco- 
holic liquors have influence in preventing the deposition of 
tubercle is destitute of any foundation; on the contrary, 
their use predisposes to tubercular deposition." And 
" where tubercle exists, alcohol has no effect in modifying 
the usual course, neither does it modify the morbid effects 
on the system." 

Professor Youmans, of New York, says: "It has been 
demonstrated that alcoholic drinks prevent the natural 
changes in the blood, and obstruct the nutritive and repara- 
tive functions." He adds : " Chemical experiments have 
demonstrated that the action of alcohol on the digestive 
fluid is to destroy its active principle, the pepdn^ thus con- 
firming the observations of physiologists, that its use gives 
rise to serious disorders of the stomach, and malignant aber- 
ration of the whole economy." It is true that some scientif- 
ic men teach that alcohol, tobacco, and opium are safe, and 
even useful, in certain quantities, though there is no way to 
know what is the safe and useful point. Usually it is men 
who habitually use some of these dangerous articles who 
hold this view. 

• We are now prepared to consider the great principles of 
science, common sense, and religion, which should guide ev- 
ery woman who has any kind of influence or responsibility 
on this subject. 

It is allowed by all medical men that pure water is per- 
fectly healthful, and supplies all the liquid needed by the 
body; and also that by proper means, which ordinarily are 
in the reach of all, water can be made sufficiently pure. 

It is allowed by all that milk, and the juices of fruits, 
when taken into the stomach, furnish water that is always 
pure, and that our bread and vegetable food also supply it 
in large quantities. There are besides a great variety of 
agreeable and healthful beverages, made from the juices of 
fruit, containing no alcohol ; and agreeable drinks, such as 
milk, cocoa, and chocolate, that contain no stimulating jDrin- 
ciples, and which are nourishing and healthful. 

As one course, then, is perfectly safe, and another involves 



230 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

great danger, it is wrong and sinful to choose the path of 
danger. There is no peril in drinking pure water, milk, the 
juices of fruits, and infusions that are nourishing and harm- 
less. But there is great danger to the young, and to the 
commonwealth, in patronizing the sale and use of alcoholic 
drinks. The religion of Christ, in its distinctive feature, in- 
volves generous self-denial for the good of others, especially 
for the weaker members of society. It is on this principle 
that St. Paul sets forth his own examj^le : " If meat make my 
brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world stand- 
eth, lest I make my brother to offend." And again he 
teaches, " We, then, that are strong ought to bear the infirm- 
ities of the weak, and not to 23lease ourselves." 

This Christian principle also applies to the common drinks 
of the family, tea and coffee. It has been shown that the 
great end for which Jesus Christ came, and for which he in- 
stituted the family state, is the training of our whole race 
to virtue and happiness, with chief reference to an immortal 
existence. In this mission, of which woman is chief minis- 
ter, the distinctive feature is self-sacrifice of the wiser and 
stronger members to save and to elevate the weaker ones. 
The children and the servants are these weaker members, 
who by ignorance and want of habits of self-control are in* 
most danger. It is in this aspect that we are to consider 
the expediency of using tea and coftee in a family. 

These drinks are a most extensive cause of much of the 
nervous debility and suffering endured by American wom- 
en ; and relinquishing them would save an immense amount 
of such suffering. Moreover, all housekeepers will allow 
that they can not regulate these drinks in their kitchens, 
where the ignorant use them to excess. There is little 
probability that the present generation will make so decided 
a change in their habits as to give up these beverages ; but 
the subject is presented rather in reference to forming the 
habits of children. 

It is a fact that tea and coffee are at first seldom or never 
agreeable to children. It is the mixture of milk, sugar, and 
water, that reconciles them to a taste which in this manner 
gradually becomes agreeable. Now, suppose that those who 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DEIXKS. 231 

provide for a family conclude that it is not their duty to 
give up entirely the use of stimulating drinks, may not the 
case appear different in regard to teaching their children to 
love such drinks ? Let the matter be regarded thus : The 
experiments of physiologists all prove that stimulants aVe 
not needful to health, and that, as the general rule, they tend 
to debilitate the constitution. Is it right, then, for a parent 
to tempt a child to drink vsrhat is not needful, when there is 
a probability that it will prove, to some extent, an under- 
mininsc drain on the constitution? Some constitutions can 
bear much less excitement than others ; and in every family 
of children there is usually one or more of delicate organi- 
zation, and consequently peculiarly exposed to dangers from 
this source. It is this child who ordinarily becomes the vic- 
tim to stimulating drinks. The tea and coff*ee which the 
parents and the healthier children can use without immedi- 
ate injury gradually sap the energies of the feebler child, 
who proves either an early victim or a living martyr to all 
the sufferinsrs that debilitated nerves inflict. Can it be risjht 
to lead children where all allow that there is some danger, 
and where in many cases disease and death are met, when 
another path is known to be perfectly safe ? 

The impression common in this country, that warm drinks^ 
especially in winter, are more healthful than cold, is not war- 
ranted by any experience, nor by the laws of the physical 
system. At dinner cold drinks are universal, and no one 
deems them injurious. It is only at the other two meals 
that they are supposed to be hurtful. 

'"''Water is a safe drink for all constitutions, provided it be 
resorted to in obedience to the dictates of natural thirst only, 
and not of habit. Unless the desire for it is felt, there is no 
occasion for its use during a meal. 

" The primary effect of all distilled and fermented liquors 
is to stimulate the nervous system and quicken the circulation. 
In infancy and childhood the circulation is rapid and easily 
excited, and the nervous system is strongly acted upon even 
by the slightest external impressions. Hence, slight causes 
of irritation readily excite febrile and convulsive disorders. 
In youth, the natural tendency of the constitution is still to 



232 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

excitement, and consequently, as a general rule, the stimu- 
lus of fermented liquors is injurious." 

These remarks by Dr. Combe show that parents, who find 
that stimulating drinks are not injurious to themselves, may 
mistake in inferring from this that they will not be injurious 
to their children. 

He continues thus : " In mature age, when digestion is 
good, and the system in full vigor, if the mode of life be not 
too exhausting, the nervous functions and general circula- 
tion are in their best condition, and require no stimulus for 
their support. The bodily energy is then easily sustained 
by nutritious food and a regular regimen, and consequently 
artificial excitement only increases the wasting of the nat- 
ural strength." 

It may be asked, in this connection, why the stimulus of 
animal food is not to be resrarded in the same lio-ht as that 
of stimulating drinks. In reply, a very essential difference 
may be pointed out. Animal food furnishes nutnraent to 
the organs which it stimulates, but stimulating drinks excite 
the organs to quickened action without affording any nour- 
ishment. 

It has been supposed by some that tea and coftee have at 
least a degree of nourishing power. But it is proved that 
it is the milk and sugar, and not the main portion of the 
drink, which imparts the nourishment. Tea has not one par- 
ticle of nourishing properties ; and what little exists in the 
coffee-berry is lost by roasting it in the usual mode. All 
that these articles do is simply to stimulate without nour- 
ishing. 

Although there is little hope of banishing these drinks, 
there is still a chance that something may be gained in at- 
tempts to regulate their use by the rules of temperance. If, 
then, a housekeeper can not banish tea and coffee entirely, 
she may nse her influence to prevent excess, both by her in- 
structions, and by the power of control committed more or 
less to her hands. 

It is important for every housekeeper to know that the 
health of a family very much depends on the 2^uriti/ of water 
used for cookinsc and drinkino-. There are three causes of 



HEALTHFUL FOOD AND DKINKS. 233 

impure and unhealtliful water. One is, the existence in it 
of vegetable or animal matter, which can be remedied by- 
filtering through sand and charcoal. Another cause is, the 
existence of mineral matter, especially in limestone coun- 
tries, producing diseases of the bladder. This is remedied, 
in a measure, by boiling, which secures a deposit of the lime 
on the vessel used. The third cause is, the corroding of zinc 
and lead used in pipes and reservoirs, producing oxides that 
are slow poisons. The only remedy is prevention, by having 
supply-pipes made of iron, like gas-pipe, instead of zinc and 
lead ; or the lately invented lead pipe lined with tin, which 
metal is not corrosive. The obstacle to this is, that the trade 
of the plumbers would be greatly diminished by the use of 
reliable pipes. When water must be used from supply-pipes 
of lead or zinc, it is well to let the water run some time be- 
fore drinking it, and to use as little as possible, taking milk 
instead; and being further satisfied for inner necessities by 
the water supplied by fruits and vegetables. The water in 
these is always pure. But in using milk as a drink, it must 
be remembered that it is also rich food, and that less of other 
food must be taken when milk is thus used, or bilious troubles 
will result from excess of food. 

The use of opium, especially by women, is usually caused 
at first by medical prescriptions containing it. All that has 
been stated as to the effect of alcohol in the brain is true of 
opium, while to break a habit thus induced is almost hope- 
less. Every woman who takes or who administers this drug 
is dealing as with poisoned arrows, whose wounds are with- 
out cure. 

The use of tobacco in this country, and especially among 
young boys, is increasing at a fearful rate. On this subject 
we have the unanimous opinion of all medical men, the fol- 
lowing being specimens. 

A distinguished medical writer thus states the case: 
"Every physician knows that the agreeable sensations that 
tempt to the use of tobacco are caused by nicotine^ which is 
a rank poison, as much so as prussic acid or arsenic. When 
smoked, the poison is absorbed by the blood of the mouth, 
and carried to the brain. When chewed, the nicotine passes 



234 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

to the blood through the mouth and stomach. In both cases, 
the whole nervous system is thrown into abnormal excite- 
ment to exj^el the poison, and it is this excitement that 
causes agreeable sensations. The excitement thus caused is 
invariably followed by a diminution of nervous power, in 
exact proportion to the preceding excitement to expel the 
evil from the system." 

Few will dispute the general truth and effect of the above 
statement, so that the question is one to be settled on the 
same principle as applies to the use of alcoholic drinks. Is 
it, then, according to the generous principles of Christ's re- 
ligion, for those who are strong and able to bear this poison, 
to tempt the young, the ignorant, and the weak to a prac- 
tice not needful to any healthful enjoyment, and which leads 
multitudes to disease, and often to vice ? For the use of 
tobacco tends always to lessen nerve-power, and probably 
every one out of five that indulges in its use awakens a mor- 
bid craving for increased stimulus, lessens the power of 
self-control, diminishes the strength of the constitution, and 
sets an example that influences the weak to the path of 
danger and of frequent ruin. 

The great danger of this age is an increasing, intense 
worldliness, and disbelief in the foundation principle of the 
religion of Christ, that we are to reap through everlasting 
ages the consequences of habits formed in this life. In the 
light of his "Word, they only who are truly wise "shall shine 
as the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, 
as the stars, forever and ever." 

It is increased faith or belief in the teachings of Christ's 
religion, as to the influence of this life upon the life to come^ 
w^hich alone can save our country and the world from that 
inrushing tide of sensualism and worldliness now seeming 
to threaten the best hopes and prospects of our race. 

And woman, as the chief educator of our race, and the 
prime minister of the family state, is bound, in the use of 
meats and drinks, to employ the powerful and distinctive 
motives of the religion of Christ in forming habits of tem- 
perance and benevolent self-sacrifice for the good of others. 



CLEANLINESS, 



235 



CHAPTER X. 



Fis. 55. 



CLEANLINESS. 

Both the health and comfort of a family depend, to a 
great extent, on cleanliness of the person and the family- 
surroundings. True cleanliness of j^erson involves the scien- 
tific treatment of the skin. This is the most complicated 
organ of the body, and one through which the health is af- 
fected more than through any other ; and no persons can or 
will be so likely to take proper care of it as those by whom 
its construction and functions are understood. 

Fig. 55 is a very highly magnified portion of the skin. 
The layer marked 1 is the 
outside, very thin skin, called 
the cuticle or scarf skin. This 
consists of transparent lay- 
ers of minute cells, which are 
constantly decaying and be- 
ing renewed, and the white 
scurf that passes from the 
skin to the clothing is a de- 
cayed portion of these cells. 
This part of the skin has nei- 
ther nerves nor blood-vessels. 

The dark layer, marked 2, 7, 8, is that portion of the true 
skin which gives the external color marking diverse races. 
In the portion of the dark layer marked 3, 4, is seen a net- 
work of nerves which run from two branches of the nervous 
trunks coming from the spinal marrow. These are nerves 
of sensation, by which the sense of touch or feeling is per- 
formed. Fig. 56 represents the blood-vessels, (intermingled 
with the nerves of the skin,) which divide into minute capil- 
laries, that act like the capillaries of the lungs, taking oxy- 
gen from the air, and giving out carbonic acid. At a and 
b are seen the roots of two hairs, which abound in certain 




236 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



Fi-r. re. 




parts of the skin, and are nour- 
ished by the blood of the capil- 
laries. 

At Fio;. 57 is a mao^nified view 
of another set of vessels, call- 
ed the lymphatics or absorbents. 
These are extremely minute ves- 
sels that interlace with the nerves 
and blood-vessels of the skin. 
Their office is to aid in collecting 
the useless, injurious, or decayed 
matter, and carry it to certain 
reservoirs, from which it passes 
into some of the large veins, to be thrown out through the 
lungs, bowels, kidneys, or skin. Fip:.5T. 

These absorbent or lymphatic ves- 
sels have mouths opening on the 
surface of the true skin, and, though 
covered by the cuticle, they can ab- 
sorb both liquids and solids that 
are placed in close contact with 
the skin. In proof of this, one of 
the main trunks of the lymphatics 
in the hand can be cut oif from 
all communication with other por- 
tions, and tied up ; and if the hand is immersed in milk a 
given time, it will be found that the milk has been absorbed 
through the cuticle and fills the lymphatics. In this way 
long-continued blisters on the skin will introduce the blister- 
ing matter into the blood through the absorbents, and then 
the kidneys will take it up from the blood passing through 
them to carry it out of the body, and thus become irritated 
and inflamed by it. 

There are also oil-tubes, imbedded in the skin, that draw 
off oil from the blood. This issues on the surface, and spreads 
over the cuticle to keep it soft and moist. 

But the most curious part of the skin is the system of in- 
numerable minute perspiration-tubes. Fig. 58 is a drawing 
of one very greatly magnified. These tubes open on the 




CLEANLINESS. 



237 




cuticle, and the openings are called pores Fig. 5^. 

of the skin. They descend into the true 

skin, and there form a coil, as is seen in 

the drawing. These tubes are hollow, 

like a pipe-stem, and their inner surface 

consists of wonderfully minute capillaries 

filled with the impure venous blood. And 

in these small tubes the same process is 

going on as takes place when the carbonic 

acid and water of the blood are exhaled 

from the lungs. The cai^illaries of these 

tubes through the whole skin of the body 

are thus constantly exhaling the noxious 

and decayed particles of the body, just 

as the lungs pour them out through the 

mouth and nose. 

It has been shown that the j^erspira- 
tion-tubes are coiled up into a ball at 
their base. The number and extent of these tubes are as- 
tonishing. In a square inch on the palm of the hand have 
been counted, through a microscope, thirty-five hundred of 
these tubes. Each one of them is about a quarter of an inch 
in length, including its coils. This makes the united lengths 
of these little tubes to be seventy-three feet to a square inch. 
Their united length over the whole body is thus calculated 
to be equal to twenty -eight miles. What a wonderful appara- 
tus this ! And what mischiefs must ensue when the drainage 
from the body of such an extent as this becomes obstructed ! 

But the inside of the body also has a skin, as have all its 
organs. The interior of the head, the throat, the gullet, the 
lungs, the stomach, and all the intestines, are lined with a 
skin. This is called the mucous niemhrane^ because it is con- 
stantly secreting from the blood a slimy substance called "mu- 
cus. When it accumulates in the lungs, it is called phlegm. 
This inner skin also has nerves, blood-vessels, and lymphat- 
ics. The outer skin joins to the inner at the mouth, the 
nose, and other openings of the body, and there is a con- 
stant sympathy between the two skins, and thus between 
the inner organs and the surface of the body. 



238 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



SECRETING ORGANS. 

Those vessels of the body which draw off certain portions 
of the blood and change it into a new form, to be employed 
for service or to be thrown out of the body, are called se- 
creting organs. The skin in this sense is a secreting organ, 
as its perspiration-tubes secrete or separate the bad portions 
of the blood, and send them off. 

Of the internal secreting organs, the liver is the largest. 
Its chief office is to secrete from the blood all matter not 
properly supplied with oxygen. For this purpose, a set of 
veins carries the blood of all the lower intestines to the liver, 
where the imperfectly oxidized matter is drawn off in the 
form of bile, and accumulated in a reservoir called the gall- 
bladder. Thence it passes to the place where the smaller, 
intestines receive the food from the stomach, and there it 
mixes with this food. Then it passes through the long in- 
testines, and is thrown out of the body through the rectum. 
This shows how it is that want of pure and cool air and 
exercise causes excess of bile, from lack of oxygen. The 
liver also has arterial blood sent to nourish it, and corre- 
sponding veins to return this blood to the heart. So there 
are two sets of blood-vessels for the liver — one to secrete 
the bile, and the other to nourish the organ itself. 

The kidneys secrete from the arteries that pass through 
them all excess of water in the blood, and certain injurious 
substances. These are carried through small tubes to the 
bladder, and thence thrown out of the body. 

The 2:>ancreas, a whitish gland situated in the abdomen, be- 
low the stomach, secretes from the arteries that pass through 
it the pancreatic juice, which unites with the bile from the 
liver, in preparing the food for nourishing the body. 

There are certain little glands near the eyes that secrete 
the tears, and others near the mouth that secrete the saliva, 
or spittle. 

These organs all have arteries sent to them to nourish 
them, and also veins to carry away the impure blood. At 
the same time, they secrete from the arterial blood the pe- 
culiar fluid which it is their office to supply. 



CLEANLINESS. 239 

All the food that passes through the lower intestines 
which is not drawn off by the lacteals or by some of these 
secreting organs, passes from the body through a passage 
called the rectum. 

Learned men have made very curious experiments to as- 
certain how much the several organs throw out of the body. 
It is found that the skin throws off five out of eight pounds 
of the food and drink, or probably about three or four 
pounds a day. The lungs throw off one quarter as much as 
the skin, or about a pound a day. The remainder is carried 
off by the kidneys and lower intestines. 

There is such a sympathy and connection between all the 
organs of the body, that when one of them is unable to 
work, the others perform the office of the feeble one. Thus, 
if the skin has its perspiration-tubes closed up by a chill, 
then all the poisonous matter that would have been thrown 
out through them must be emptied out either by the lungs, 
kidneys, or bowels. 

When all these organs are strong and healthy, they can 
bear this increased labor without injury. But if the lungs 
are weak, the blood sent from the skin by the chill engorges 
the weak blood-vessels, and produces an inflammation of the 
lungs. Or it increases the discharge of a slimy mucous sub- 
stance, that exudes from the skin of the lungs. This fills up 
the air-vessels, and would very soon end life, were it not for 
the spasms of the lungs, called coughing^ which throw off 
this substance. 

If, on the other hand, the bowels are weak, a chill of the 
skin sends the blood into all the blood-vessels of the intes- 
tines, and produces inflammation there, or else an excessive 
secretion of the mucous substance, w^hich is called a diar- 
rhea. Or if the kidneys are weak, there is an increased se- 
cretion and discharge from them, to an unhealthy and inju- 
rious extent. 

This connection between the skin and internal organs is 
shown, not only by the internal effects of a chill on the skin, 
but by the sympathetic effect on the skin when these inter- 
nal organs suffer. For example, there are some kinds of food 
that will irritate and influence the stomach or the bowels ; 



240 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

and this, by sympathy, will produce an immediate eruption 
on the skin. Some persons, on eating strawberries, will im- 
mediately, be affected with a nettle-rash. Others can not eat 
certain shell-fish Avithout being affected in this way. Many 
humors on the face are caused by a diseased state of the in- 
ternal organs with which the skin sympathizes. 

This short account of the construction of the skin, and of 
its intimate connection with the internal organs, shows the 
philosophy of those modes of medical treatment that are ad- 
dressed to this portion of the body. 

It is on this powerful agency that the steam-doctors rely, 
when, by moisture and heat, they stimulate all the innumer- 
able perspiration-tubes and lymphatics to force out from the 
body a flood of unnaturally excited secretions ; while it is 
" kill or cure," just as the chance may meet or oppose the 
demands of the case. It is the skin, also, that is the chief 
basis of medical treatment in the Water Cure, whose slow 
processes are as much safer as they are slower. 

At the same time, it is the ill-treatment or neglect of the 
skin which, probably, is the cause of disease and decay to an 
incredible extent. The various particulars in which this 
may be seen will now be pointed out. In the management 
and care of this wonderful and complex part of the body 
many mistakes have been made. 

The most common one is the misuse of the bath, especially 
since cold-water cures have come into use. This mode, of 
medical treatment originated with an ignorant peasant, amidst 
a 23opulation where outdoor labor had strengthened nerves 
and muscles and imparted rugged powers to every part of 
the body. It was then introduced into England and Ameri- 
ca without due consideration or knowledge of the diseases, 
habits, or real condition of patients, especially of women. 
The consequence was a mode of treatment too severe and 
exhausting ; and many practices were Sj^read abroad not 
warranted by true medical science. 

But, in spite of these mistakes and abuses, the treatment 
of the skin for disease by the use of cold water has become 
an accepted doctrine of the most learned medical practition- 
ers. It is now held by all such that fevers can be detected 



CLEANLINESS. 241 

in their distinctive features by the thermometer, and that all 
fevers can be reduced by cold baths and packing in the wet 
sheet, in the mode employed in all water cures. 

It has been supposed that large bath-tubs for immersing 
the whole person are indispensable to the proper cleaning 
of the skin. This is not so. A wet towel, applied every 
morning to the skin, followed by friction in pure air, is all 
that is absolutely needed ; although a full bath is a great 
luxury. Access of air to every part of the skin, when its 
perspiratory tubes are cleared and its blood-vessels are 
filled by friction, is the best ordinary bath. 

Children should be washed all over, every night or morn- 
ing, to remove impurities from the skin. But in this proc- 
ess careful regard should be paid to the peculiar constitu- 
tion of a child. Yery nervous children sometimes revolt 
from cold water, and like a tepid bath ; others prefer a cold 
bath ; and nature should be the guide. It must be remem- 
bered that the skin is the great organ of sensation, and in 
close connection with brain, spine, and nerve-centres : so 
that what a strong nervous system can bear with advantage 
is too powerful and exhausting for another. As age ad- 
vances, or as disease debilitates the body, great care should 
be taken not to overtax the nervous system by sudden 
shocks, or to diminish its powers by withdrawing animal 
heat to excess. Persons lacking robustness should bathe 
or use friction in a warm room ; and if very delicate, should 
expose only a portion of the body at once to cold air. But 
an evening or morning washing and friction of the skin will 
save from colds and many other evils. 

Johnson, a celebrated writer on agricultural chemistry, 
tells of an experiment by friction on the skin of pigs, whose 
skins are like that of the human race. He treated six of 
these animals with a curry-comb seven weeks, and left three 
other pigs untouched. The result was a gain of thirty-three 
pounds more of weight, with the use of five bushels less of 
food for those curried, than for the neglected ones. This 
result was owing to the fact that all the functions of the 
body were more perfectly performed when, by friction, the 
skin was kept free from filth and the blood in it exposed to 

11 



242 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

the air. The same will be true of the human skin. A cal- 
culation has been made on this fact, by which it is estimated 
that a man, by proper care of his skin, would save over 
thirty-one dollars in food yearly, which at 6 per cent, is the 
interest on over five hundred dollars. If men will give as 
much care to their own skin as they give to currying a 
horse, they will gain both health and wealth. 



CLOTHING. 243 



CHAPTER XI. 

CLOTHING. 

There is no duty of those persons having control of a 
family where principle and practice are more at variance 
than in regulating the dress of young girls, especially at the 
most important and critical period of life. It is a difficult 
duty for parents and teachers to contend with the power of 
fashion, which at this time of a young girl's life is frequent- 
ly the ruling thought, and when to be out of the fashion, to 
be odd and not dress as all her companions do, is a morti- 
fication and grief that no argument or instructions can re- 
lieve. The mother is often so overborne that, in spite of her 
better wishes, the daughter adopts modes of dress alike ruin- 
ous to health and to beauty. 

The greatest protection against such an emergency is to 
train a child to understand the construction of her own 
body, and to impress upon her, in early days, her obligations 
to the invisible Friend and Guardian of her life, the " Former 
of her body and the Father of her spirit," who has commit- 
ted to her care so precious and beautiful a casket. And the 
more she can be made to realize the skill and beauty of con- 
struction shown in her earthly frame, the more will she feel 
the obligation to protect it from injury and abuse. 

It is a singular fact that the war of fashion has attacked 
most fatally what seems to be the strongest foundation and 
defense of the body, the bones. For this reason, the con- 
struction and functions of this part of the body will now 
receive attention. 

The bones are composed of two substances, one animal, 
and the other mineral. The animal part is a very fine net- 
work, called cellular tnemhrane. In this are deposited the 
harder mineral substances, which are composed principally 
of carbonate and phosphate of lime. In very early life, the 
bones consist chiefly of the animal part, and are then soft 



244 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

and pliant. As the child advances in age, the bones grow 
harder, by the gradual deposition of the phosphate of lime, 
which is supplied by the food, and carried to the bones by 
the blood. In old age, the hardest material preponderates ; 
making: the bones more brittle than in earlier life. 

The bones are covered with a thin skin or membrane, fill- 
ed with small blood-vessels which convey nourishment to 
them. 

Where the bones unite with others to form joints, they 
are covered with cartilage, which is a smooth, white, elastic 
substance. This enables the joints to move smoothly, while 
its elasticity prevents injuries from sudden jars. 

The joints are bound together by strong, elastic bands 
called ligaments, which hold them firmly and prevent dis- 
location. 

Between the ends of the bones that unite to form joints 
are small sacks or bags, that contain a soft lubricating fluid. 
This answers the same purpose for the joints as oil in mak- 
ing machinery work smoothly, while the supply is constant 
and always in exact proportion to the demand. 

If you will examine the leg of some fowl, you can see the 
cartilage that covers the ends of the bones at the joints, and 
the strong white ligaments that bind the joints together. 

The health of the bones depends on the proper nourish- 
ment and exercise of the body as much as that of any other 
part. When a child is feeble and unhealthy, or when it 
grows up without exercise, the bones do not become firm 
and hard as they are when the body is healthfully devel- 
oped by exercise. The size as well as the strength of the 
bones, to a certain extent, also depend upon exercise and 
good health. So also they depend on tlie food, for fine flour 
is deprived of the materials that form bone, and growing 
children often have weak bones from having this for com- 
mon food. 
. The chief supporter of the body is the spine, which con- 
sists of twenty-four small bones, interlocked or hooked into 
each other, while between them are elastic cushions of car- 
tilage which aid in preserving the upright, natural position. 
Fig. 59 shows three of the spinal bones, hooked into each 



CLOTHING. 



245 




other, the dark spaces showing the Fis^.so. 

disks or flat circular plates of carti- 
lage between them. 

The spine is held in its proper posi- 
tion, partly by the ribs, partly by mus- 
cles, partly by aid of the elastic disks, 
and partly by the close packing of the 
intestines in front of it. 

The upper part of the spine is often 
thrown out of its proper position by 
constant stooping of the head over 
books or work. This affects the elas- 
tic disks so that they grow thick at the back side and thinner 
at the front side by such constant pressure. The result is 
the awkward projection of the head forward which is often 
seen in schools and colleges. 

Another distortion of the spine is produced by tight dress 
around the waist. The liver occupies the right side of the 
body and is a solid mass, while on the other side is the 
larger part of the stomach, which is often empty. The con- 
sequence of tight dress around the waist is a constant press- 
ure of the spine toward the unsupported part where the 
stomach lies. Thus the elastic disks again are compressed, 
till they become thinner on one side than the other, and 
harden into that condition. This produces what is called 
the lateral curvature of the sjnney making one shoulder high- 
er than the other. 

The evils consequent on modes of dress can never be rem- 
edied until the process of hreatJmig is understood and its in- 
fluence in preserving the position and healthful action of the 
pelvic organs in both sexes, but especially those of woman. 
And this has never been explained in any of our popular 
works on physiology. 

In the diagram. Figs. 60, 61, D represents the diaphragm, 
which resembles an inverted bowl. Above it are the heart 
and lungs, marked H and L, and these are held up by blood- 
vessels and other supports above them. In this position of 
the diaphragm the air-vessels of the lungs are only partially 
filled w^ith air, and there are two modes of increasing this 



246 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 





Fig. GO. Fig. 61. Supply. One is by chest 

breathing, when the ribs 
are lifted upward and out- 
ward, making a vacuum in 
the air-vessels of the lungs. 
At the same time, the dia- 
phragm is flattened by this 
expansion of the chest, as 
shown by the dotted lines. 
Then the air presses in 
through the nose and wind- 
pipe and fills the air-vessels, 
giving up its oxygen to the blood, and receiving carbonic 
acid and water, which are expired when the ribs and dia- 
phragm return to their natural position. 

The other mode of filling the lungs is by abdominal 
breathing, as illustrated by Fig. 61. 

At D is a side view of the diaphragm in its natural position, 
and the dotted lines show its position when it is contracted 
and thus flattened. "When the diaphragm contracts or flat- 
tens, a vacant space is left above it, and then the air rushes 
in to fill the vacuum, as it does when the ribs are raised. 
This flattening of the diaphragm presses all the viscera be- 
neath it downward, and thus causes the abdomen to swell 
outward, as is represented by the dotted lines at A. Then, 
when the diaphragm returns to its natural state, a vacant 
space is made beneath it, and in consequence the viscera be- 
low rises to fill the vacuum, owing to the pressure of the at- 
mosphere around the body ; for it is said that " nature ab- 
hors a vacuum," by which is expressed a law of pneumatics 
in a popular adage. This law is, that when a vacuum is 
made in either air or water, the surrounding fluid presses 
from all sides, and from the bottom as strongly as from 
above. And thus, when a vacuum is made by the raising of 
the diaphragm, there is a pressure on all sides of the body, 
forcing the intestines upward to fill the vacuum thus made. 
This enables us to explain that most curious and wonderful 
mode by which the upper viscera are prevented from sinking 
on to the lower, as secured chiefly by abdominal breathing. 



CLOTHING. 247 

The pelvis is the bony basin supporting the spine, to 
which the bones of the legs are fastened. 

This basin holds the pelvic organs, consisting in one sex 
of the bladder and rectum, and in the other sex of the 
bladder, vagina, uterus, and rectum. These pelvic organs 
must enlarge by use, and so are placed in a spongy, yielding 
substance called cellular memhrane. Now the livei", stomach, 
and all the intestines below the diaphragm, have no support 
from above^ and so the question is, what sustains these or- 
gans, weighing from six to twelve pounds, so that they do 
not sink down on to the delicate pelvic organs below? The 
answer is, they are held up chiefly by abdominal breathing, 
as above explained. For at every rise of the diaphragm a 
vacuum is made above the abdominal viscera, lifting them 
upward, and this is done at every breath, and we breathe 
about twenty times each minute. 

By this constant upward and downward movement of the 
abdominal viscera, the healthful and quickened circulation 
of the blood in all the myriad capillaries of both the ab- 
dominal and also the pelvic organs is promoted ; for it has 
been shown on page 152 how alternate compression and re- 
laxation of the veins promotes quickened circulation in all 
the veins and capillaries. Of course, any thing that im- 
pedes abdominal breathing interrupts this lifting operation, 
so that the upper intestines are left to gravitate on the pel- 
vic organs. This stops the healthful flow of blood through 
the capillaries, and tends to produce congestion, inflamma- 
tion, and cancerous accumulations in the pelvic organs. 

All natural and healthful breathing unites both chest and 
abdominal breathing, as may be seen by watching a sleeping 
child. Clothing resting on the hips and abdomen, unsup- 
ported from the shoulders, is sure to impede abdominal 
breathing, and if heavy, to stop it entirely. In the present 
style of dress, when the clothing rests on hips and abdomen, 
and is unsupported by shoulder-straps, through most of the 
day this most healthful movement is interrupted, and thus 
the most efficient mode is taken of bringing on terrible suf- 
fering, both physical and mental. 

Many a school-girl, whose waist was originally of a prop- 



248 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

er and healthful size, has gradually pressed the soft bones of 
youth until the lower ribs, that should rise and fall with ev- 
ery breath, become entirely unused, while heavy clothing or 
stiff corset-bones stop the abdominal breathing. 

The pressure of the upper interior organs upon the lower 
ones by tight dress, is increased by the weight of clothing 
resting on the hips and abdomen. Corsets, as usually worn, 
have no support from the shoulders, and consequently all 
the weight of dress resting upon or above them presses upon 
the hips and abdomen, and this in such a way as to throw 
out of use, and thus weaken, the supporting muscles of the 
abdomen, and impede abdominal breathing. 

Then the stomach begins to draw from above, instead of 
resting on the viscera beneath it. This in some cases causes 
dull and wandering pains, a sense of pulling at the centre 
of the chest, and a drawing downward at the pit of the stom- 
ach. Then, as the natural mode of support is really go7ie, 
there is what is often called " a feeling of goneness.'''' This 
is sometimes relieved by food, which, so long as it remains 
in a solid form, helps to hold up the falling superstructure. 
This displacement of the stomach, liver, and spleen interrupts 
their healthful functions, and dyspepsia and biliary difficul- 
ties not unfrequently are the result. 

As the stomach and its appendages fall downward, the 
breathing sometimes thus becomes quicker and shorter, on 
account of the elongated or debilitated condition of the as- 
sisting organs. Consumption not unfrequently results from 
this cause. 

The heart also feels the evil. " Palpitations," " flutter- 
ings," " sinking feelings," all show that, in the language of 
Scripture, "the heart trembleth, and is moved out of its 
place." 

Having the weight of all the unsupported organs above 
pressing them into unnatural and distorted positions, the 
passage of the food is interrupted, and inflammations, indu- 
rations, and constipation are the frequent result. Dreadful 
ulcers and cancers in the bowels may be traced in some in- 
stances to this cause. 

Although these internal displacements are most common 



CLOTHIXG. 249 

among women, some foolish members of the other sex are 
adopting customs of dress, in girding the central portion of 
the body, that tend to similar results. 

But this distortion brings upon woman peculiar distresses. 
The pressure of the whole superincumbent mass on the pelvic 
or lower organs induces sufferings proportioned in acuteness 
to the extreme delicacy and sensitiveness of the parts thus 
crushed. And the intimate connection of these organs with 
the brain and whole nervous system renders injuries thus 
inflicted the causes of the most extreme anguish, both of 
body and mind. This evil is becoming so common, not only 
among married women but among young girls, as to be a 
just cause for universal alarm. 

How very common these sufferings are few but the medi- 
cal profession can realize, because they are troubles that 
must be concealed. Many a woman is moving about in un- 
complaining agony who, with any other trouble involving 
equal suffering, would be on her bed surrounded by sympa- 
thizing friends. 

The terrible sufferings that are sometimes thus induced 
can never be conceived of, or at all appreciated from any 
use of language. Nothing that the public can be made to 
believe on this subject will ever equal the reality. ]^ot 
only mature "persons and mothers, but fair young girls some- 
times, are shut up for months and years as helpless and 
suffering invalids from this cause. This may be found all 
over the land. And there frequently is a horrible extrem- 
ity of suffering in certain forms of this evil, which no wom- 
an of feeble constitution dressing in present fashion can 
ever be certain may not be her doom. Not that in all cases 
this extremity is involved, but none pan say who will es- 
cape it. 

In regard to this, if one must choose for a friend or a 
child, on the one hand, the horrible torments inflicted by 
savage Indians or cruel inquisitors on their victims, or, on 
the other, the protracted agonies that result from such de- 
formities and displacements, sometimes the former would be 
a merciful exchange. And yet this is the fate that is coming 
to meet the young as well as the mature in every direction. 

11* 



250 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



And tender parents are unconsciously leading their lovely 
and hapless daughters to this awful doom. 

There is no excitement of the imagination in what is here 
indicated. If the facts and details could be presented, they 
would send a groan of terror all over the land. For it is 
not one class, or one section, that is endangered. In every 
part of our country the evil is progressing. 

And, as if these dreadful ills were not enough, there have 
been added methods of medical treatment at once useless, 
torturing to the mind, and involving great liability to im- 
moralities.* 

In hope of abating these evils, drawings are given (Fig. 62 
and Fig. 63) of the front and back of a jacket that will pre- 



Fig. 62. 



Fisr. 63. 





serve the advantages of the corset without its evils. This 
jacket may at first be fitted to the figure with corsets un- 
derneath it, just like the waist of a dress. Then delicate 
whalebones can be used to stiffen the jacket, so that it will 
take the proper shape, when the corset may be dispensed 
with. The buttons below are to hold all articles of dress 
below the waist by button-holes. By this method the bust 
is supported as well as by corsets, while the shoulders sup- 
port from above, as they should do, the weight of the dress 
below. Xo stiff bone should be allowed to press in front, 
and the jacket should be so loose that a full breath can be 
inspired with ease while in a sitting position. 

* Some extracts from medical writers in Note A will give the views of the 
most respected physicians all over the land on this point. 



CLOTHING. 251 

The proper way to dress a young girl is to have a cotton 
or flannel close-fitting jacket next the body, to which the 
drawers should be buttoned. Over this place the chemise ; 
and over that, such a jacket as the one here drawn, to which 
should be buttoned the hoops and other skirts. Thus every 
article of dress will be supported by the shoulders. The 
sleeves of the jacket can be omitted, and in that case a 
strong lining, and also a taj^e binding, must surround the 
arm-hole, which should be loose. 

It is hoped that increase of intelligence and moral power 
among mothers, and a combination among them to regulate 
fashions, may banish the pernicious practices that have pre- 
vailed. If a school-girl dress without corsets and without 
tight belts could be established as a fashion, it would be one 
step gained in the right direction. Then, if mothers could 
secure to their daughters daily domestic exercise in cham- 
bers, eating-rooms, and parlors in loose dresses, a still further 
advance would be secured. 

A friend of the writer informs her that her daughter had 
her wedding outfit made up by a fashionable milliner in 
Paris, and every dress was beautifully fitted to the form, 
and yet was not compressing to any part. This was done 
too without the use of corsets, the stiffening being delicate 
and yielding whalebones. 

Not only parents but all having the care of young girls, 
especially those at boarding-schools, have a fearful responsi- 
bility resting upon them in regard to this important duty. * 

In regard to the dressing of young children, much discre- 
tion is needed to adapt dress to circumstances and peculiar 
constitutions. The leading fact must be borne in mind, that 
the skin is made strong and healthful by exposure to light 
and pure air, while cold air, if not excessive, has a tonic in- 
fluence. If the skin of infants is rubbed with the hand till 
red with blood, and then exposed naked to sun and air in a 
well-ventilated room, it 'will be favorable to health. 

There is a constitutional difference in the skin of different 
children in regard to retaining the animal heat manufactured 
within, so that some need more clothing than others for 
comfort. Nature is a safe sruide to a careful nurse and 



252 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

mother, and will indicate, by the looks and actions of a child, 
when more clothing is needful. As a general rule, it is safe 
for a healthful child to wear as little clothing as suffices to 
keep it from complaining of cold. Fifty years ago, it was 
not common for children to wear as much under-clothing as 
they now do. The writer well remembers how girls, though 
not of strong constitutions, used to play for hours in the 
snow-drifts without the protection of drawers, kept warm 
by exercise and occasional runs to an open fire. And multi- 
tudes of children grew to vigorous maturity through similar 
exposures to cold-air baths, and without the frequent colds 
and sicknesses so common among children of the present 
day, who are more carefully housed and warmly dressed. 
But care was taken that the feet should be kept dry and 
warmly clad, because, circulation being feebler in the ex- 
tremities, this precaution was important. 

It must also be considered that age brings with it decrease 
in vigor of circulation, and diminished generation of heat, 
so that more warmth of air and clothing is needed at an ad- 
vanced period of life than is suitable for the young. 

These are the general principles which must be applied 
with modification to each individual case. A child of deli- 
cate constitution must have more careful protection from 
cold air than is desirable for one more vigorous, while the 
leading general principle is retained that cold air is a health- 
ful tonic for the skin whenever it does not produce an un- 
comfortable chilliness. 

Sometimes it is asked. Why are women, especially young 
girls, so much more delicate and sickly than in former days ? 
The true reply would be, it is because parents and teachers 
are doing every thing they can do to produce such mischiefs. 

Sleeping in unventilated chambers ; living in school-rooms 
and parlors heated to excess, and charged with poisonous 
gases ; exposed to sudden variations of temperature from 
mismanagement ; eating unhealthful food at irregular hours 
and to a dangerous excess ; supplied with unhealthful con- 
fectionary to eat at any hour ; indulging in exciting amuse- 
ments, with late hours for sleep ; the brain stimulated by a 
multitude of school duties and studies unrelieved by suffi- 



CLOTHING. 253 

cient sleep or by muscular exercise ; the dress contrived to 
impede vital functions, so as to force the upper organs on to 
the lower, generating the most cruel displacements and men- 
tal and bodily diseases; overheating the parts most injured 
by such treatment, and exposing the parts most important 
to keep warm ; compressing feet and ankles so as to impede 
circulation, with high heels throwing all the muscles out of 
natural play, so as to increase all the dangerous tendencies 
to internal displacement ; these are only one portion of the 
many contrivances adopted or allowed by parents and teach- 
ers to destroy the health of women and young girls. 



254 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XII. 

EARLY RISING. 

There is no practice which has been more extensively- 
eulogized in all ages than early rising ; and this universal 
impression is an indication that it is founded on true philoso- 
phy. For it is rarely the case that the common sense of 
mankind fastens on a practice as really beneficial, especially 
one that demands self- denial, without some substantial 
reason. 

This practice, which may justly be called a domestic vir- 
tue, is one which has a peculiar claim to be styled American 
and democratic. The distinctive mark of aristocratic na- 
tions is a disregard of the great mass, and a disproportionate 
regard for the interests of certain privileged orders. AH 
the customs and habits of such a nation are, to a greater or 
less extent, regulated by this principle. Now the mass of 
any nation must always consist of persons who labor at oc- 
cupations which demand the light of day. But in aristo- 
cratic countries, especially in England, labor is regarded as 
the mark of the lower classes, and indolence is considered as 
one mark of a gentleman. This impression has gradually 
and imperceptibly, to a great extent, regulated their cus- 
toms, so that, even in their hours of meals and repose, the 
higher orders aim at being different and distinct from those 
who, by laborious pursuits, are placed below them. From 
this circumstance, while the lower orders labor by day and 
sleep at night, the rich, the noble, and the honored sleep by 
day, and follow their pursuits and pleasures by night. 

It will be found that the aristocracy of Loudon breakfast 
near midday, dine after dark, visit and go to Parliament be- 
tween ten and twelve at night, and retire to sleep toward 
morning. In consequence of this, the subordinate classes 
who aim at gentility gradually fall into the same practice. 
The influence of this custom extends across the ocean, and 



EAELY KISING. 255 

here, in this democratic land, we find many who measure 
their grade of gentility by the late hour at which they ar- 
rive at a party. And this aristocratic folly is growing upon 
us, so that throughout the nation the hours for visiting and 
retiring are constantly becoming later, while the hours for 
rising correspond in lateness. 

The question, then, is one which appeals to American 
women as a matter of patriotism, and as having a bearing 
on those great principles of democracy which we conceive 
to be equally the principles of Christianity. Shall we fonn 
our customs on the assumption that labor is degrading and 
indolence genteel ? Shall we assume, by our practice, that 
the interests of the great mass are to be sacrificed for the 
pleasures and honors of a privileged few ? Shall we ape 
the customs of aristocratic lands, in those very practices 
which result from principles and institutions that we con- 
demn ? Shall we not rather take the place to which we are 
entitled, as the leaders, rather than the followers, in the cus- 
toms of society, turn back the tide of aristocratic inroads, 
and carry through the whole, not only of civil and political 
but of social and domestic life, the true principles of demo- 
cratic freedom and equality ? The following considerations 
may serve to strengthen an afiirmative decision : 

The first relates to the health of a family. It is a uni- 
versal law of physiology, that all living things flourish best 
in the light. Vegetables, in a dark cellar, grow pale and 
spindling. Children brought up in mines are always wan 
and stunted, while men become pale and cadaverous who 
live under ground. This indicates the folly of losing the 
genial influence which the light of day produces on all ani- 
mated creation. 

Sir James Wylie, of the Russian imperial service, states 
that in the soldiers' barracks three times as many were 
taken sick on the shaded side as on the sunny side ; though 
both sides communicated, and disciiDline, diet, and treatment 
were the same. The eminent French surgeon, Dupuytren, 
cured a lady, whose complicated diseases baffled for years 
his own and all other medical skill, by taking her from a 
dark room to an abundance of daylight. 



256 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Florence Nightingale writes : " Second only to fresh air 
in importance for the sick is light. Not only daylight but 
direct sunlight is necessary to speedy recovery, except in a 
small number of cases. Instances, almost endless, could be 
given where, in dark wards, or wards with only northern ex- 
posure, or wards with borrowed light, even when properly 
ventilated, the sick could not be, by any means, made speed- 
ily to recover." 

In the prevalence of cholera, it was invariably the case 
that deaths were more numerous in shaded streets, or in 
houses having only northern exposures, than in those having 
sunlight. Several physicians have stated to the writer that, 
in sunny exposures, women after childbirth gained strength 
much faster than those excluded from sunlight. In the 
writer's experience, great nervous debility has been always 
immediately lessened by sitting in the sun, and still more 
by lying on the earth and in open air, a blanket beneath, 
and head and eyes protected, under the direct rays of the 
sun. 

Some facts in physiology and natural philosophy have a 
bearing on this subject. It seems to be settled that the red 
color of blood is owing to iron contained in the red blood- 
cells, while it is established as a fact that the sun's rays are 
metallic, having " vapor of iron " as one element. It is also 
true that want of light causes a diminution of the red and 
an increase of the imperfect white blood-cells, and that this 
sometimes results in a disease called leucoetnia^ while all 
who live in the dark have pale and waxy skins, and flabby, 
weak muscles. Thus it would seem that it is the sun that 
imparts the iron and color to the blood. These things be- 
ing so, the customs of society that bring sleeping hours into 
daylight, and working and study hours into the night, are 
direct violations of the laws of health. The laws of health 
are the laws of God, and " sin is the trangression of law." 

To this we must add the great neglect of economy as well 
as health in substituting unhealthful gas-light and poison- 
ous, anthracite warmth, for the life-giving light and warmth 
of the sun. Millions and millions would be saved to this 
nation in fuel and light, as well as in health, by returning to 



EAELY RISING. 257 

the good old ways of our forefathers, to rise with the sun, 
and retire to rest " when the bell rings for nine o'clock." 

The observations of medical men, whose inquiries have 
been directed to this point, have decided that from six to 
eight hours is the amount of sleep demanded by persons in 
health. Some constitutions require as much as eight, and 
others no more than six hours of repose. But eight hours 
is the maximum for all persons in ordinary health, with or- 
dinary occupations. In cases of extra physical exertions, or 
the debility of disease, or a decayed constitution, more than 
this is required. Let eight hours, then, be regarded as the 
ordinary period required for sleep by au industrious people 
like the Americans. 

It thus appears that the laws of our political condition, 
the laws of the natural world, and the constitution of our 
bodies, alike demand that we rise with the light of day to 
prosecute our employments, and that we retire in time for 
the requisite amount of sleep. 

In regard to the effects of protracting the time spent in 
repose, many extensive and satisfactory investigations have 
been made. It has been shown that during sleep the body 
perspires most freely, while yet neither food nor exercise are 
ministering to its wants. Of course, if we continue our 
slumbers beyond the time required to restore the body to 
its usual vigor, there is an unperceived undermining of the 
constitution by this protracted and debilitating exhalation. 
This process, in a course of years, renders the body delicate 
and less able to withstand disease, and in the result shortens 
life. Sir John Sinclair, who has written a large work on the 
Causes of Longevity, states, as one result of his extensive 
investigations, that he has never yet heard or read of a sin- 
gle case of great longevity where the individual was not an 
early riser. He says that he has found cases in which the 
individual has violated some one of all the other laws of 
health, and yet lived to great age ; but never a single in- 
stance in which any constitution has withstood that under- 
mining consequent on protracting the hours of repose be- 
yond the demands of the system. 

Another reason for early rising is, that it is indispensable 



258 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

to a systematic and well-regulated family. At whatever 
hour the parents retire, children and domestics, wearied by 
play or labor, must retire early. Children usually awake 
with the dawn of light and commence their play, while do- 
mestics usually prefer the freshness of morning for their la- 
bors. If, then, the parents rise at a late hour, they either 
induce a habit of protracting sleep in their children and 
domestics, or else the family are up, and at their pursuits, 
while their supervisors are in bed. 

Anv woman who asserts that her children and domestics, 
in the first hours of day, when their spirits are freshest, will 
be as well regulated without her presence as with it, confess- 
es that which surely is little for her credit. It is believed 
that any candid woman, whatever may be her excuse for 
late rising, will concede that if she could rise early it would 
be for the advantage of her family. A late breakfast puts 
back the work, through the whole day, for every member 
of a family ; and if the parents thus occasion the loss of an 
hour or two to each individual, who, but for their delay in 
the morning, would be usefully employed, they alone are 
responsible for all this waste of time. 

But the practice of early rising has a relation to the gen- 
eral interests of the social community, as well as to that of 
each distinct family. All that great portion of the commu- 
munity who are employed in business and labor find it need- 
ful to rise early ; and all their hours of meals, and their ap- 
pointments for business or pleasure, must be accommodated 
to these arrangements. ISTow, if a small portion of the com- 
munity establish very different hours, it makes a kind of 
jostling in all the concerns and interests of society. The 
various appointments for the public, such as meetings, 
schools, and business hours, must be accommodated to the 
mass, and not to individuals. The few, then, who establish 
domestic habits at variance with the majority, are either 
constantly interrupted in their own arrangements, or else are 
interfering with the rights and interests of others. This is 
exemplified in the case of schools. In families where late 
rising is practiced, either hurry, irregularity, and neglect are 
engendered in the family, or else the interests of the school. 



EAKLY RISING. 259 

and thus of the community, are sacrificed. In this and 
many other matters, it can be shown that the well-being of 
the bulk of the people is, to a greater or less extent, impair- 
ed by this self-indulgent practice. Let any teacher select 
the unpunctual scholars — a class who most seriously interfere 
with the interests of the school — and let men of business se- 
lect those who cause them most waste of time and vexation, 
by unpunctuality ; and it will be found that they are gener- 
ally among the late risers, and rarely among those who rise 
early. Thus, late rising not onlj'' injures the person and 
family which indulge in it, but interferes with the rights 
and convenience of the community ; while early rising im- 
parts corresponding benefits of health, promptitude, vigor of 
action, economy of time, and general eflfectiveness, both to 
the individuals who practice it and to the families and com- 
munity of which they are a part. 



260 THE HOUSEKEEPER A:ND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

DOMESTIC MANNERS. 

Good manners are the expressions of benevolence in 
personal intercourse, by which we endeavor to promote the 
comfort and enjoyment of others, and to avoid all that gives 
needless uneasiness. It is the exterior exhibition of the di- 
vine precept, which requires us to do to others as we would 
that they should do to us. It is saying, by our deportment, 
to all around, that we consider their feelings, tastes, and 
conveniences, as equal in value to our own. 

Good manners lead us to avoid all practices which offend 
the taste of others ; all unnecessary violations of the con- 
ventional rules of 23ropriety ; all rude and disrespectful lan- 
guage and deportment; and all remarks which would tend 
to wound the feelings of others. 

There is a serious defect in the manners of the American 
people, especially among the descendants of the Puritan 
settlers of New England, which can never be efficiently 
remedied, except in the domestic circle, and during early 
life. It is a deficiency in the free expression of kindly feel- 
ings and symj^athetic emotions, and a want of courtesy in 
deportment. The causes which have led to this result may 
easily be traced. 

The forefathers of this nation, to a wide extent, were men 
who were driven from their native land by laws and cus- 
toms which they believed to be opposed both to civil aiid 
religious freedom. The sufferings they were called to en- 
dure, the subduing of those gentler feelings which bind us 
to country, kindred, and home ; and the constant subordina- 
tion of the passions to stern principle, induced characters of 
great firmness and self-control. They gave up the comforts 
and refinements of a civilized country, and came as pilgrims 
to a hard soil, a cold clime, and a heathen shore. They 
were continually forced to encounter danger, privation, 



DOMESTIC MANNERS. 261 

sickness, loneliness, and death ; and all these their religion 
taught them to meet with calmness, fortitude, and submis- 
sion. And thus it became the custom and habit of the 
whole mass to repress rather than to encourage the expres- 
sion of feeling. 

Persons who are called to constant and protracted suffer- 
ing and privation are forced to subdue and conceal emotion ; 
for the free expression of it would double their own suffer- 
ing, and increase the sufferings of others. Those only who 
are free* from care and anxiety, and whose minds are mainly 
occupied by cheerful emotions, are at full liberty to unveil 
their feelings. 

It was under such stern and rigorous discipline that the 
first children in New-England were reared ; and the man- 
ners and habits of parents are usually to a great extent 
transmitted to children. Thus it comes to pass that the 
descendants of the Puritans, now scattered over every part 
of the nation, are predisposed to conceal the gentler emo- 
tions, while their manners are calm, decided, and cold, rather 
than free and impulsive. Of course, there are very many 
exceptions to these predominating characteristics. 

Other causes, to which we may attribute a general want 
of courtesy in manners, are certain incidental results of our 
domestic institutions. Our ancestors and their descendants 
have constantly been combating the aristocratic principle, 
which would exalt one class of men at the expense of an- 
other. They have had to contend with this principle, not 
only in civil but in social life. Almost every American, in 
his own person as well as in behalf of his class, has had to 
assume and defend the main principle of democracy — that 
every man's feelings and interests are equal in value to 
those of every other man. But, in doing this, there has 
been some want of clear discrimination. Because claims 
based on distinctions of mere birth, fortune, or position 
were found to be injurious, many have gone to the extreme 
of inferring that all distinctions involving subordinations are 
useless. Such would wrongfully regard children as equals 
to parents, pupils to teachers, domestics to their employers, 
and subjects to magistrates — and that, too, in all respects. 



262 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

The fact that certain grades of superiority and subordina- 
tion are needful, both for individual and public benefit, has 
not been clearly discerned ; and there has been a gradual 
tendency to an extreme of the opposite view which has sen- 
sibly affected our manners. All the proprieties and courte- 
sies which depend on the recognition of the relative duties of 
superior and subordinate have been warred upon; and thus 
we see, to an increasing extent, disrespectful treatment of 
parents, by children ; of teachers, by pupils ; of employers, 
by domestics ; and of the aged, by the young. In all classes 
and circles there is a gradual decay in courtesy of address. 

In cases, too, where kindness is rendered, it is often ac- 
companied with a cold, unsympathizing manner, Avhich 
greatly lessens its value ; while kindness or politeness is re- 
ceived in a similar style of coolness, as if it were but the 
payment of a just due. 

It is owing to these causes that the American people, 
especially the descendants of the Puritans, do not do them- 
selves justice. For, while those who are near enough to 
learn their real character and feelings can discern the most 
generous impulses and the most kindly sympathies, they 
are often so veiled behind a composed and indifferent de- 
meanor as to be almost entirely concealed from strangers. 

These defects in our national manners it especially falls 
to the care of mothers, and all who have charge of the 
young, to rectify ; and if they seriously undertake the mat- 
ter, and wisely adapt means to ends, these defects will be 
remedied. With reference to this object, the following 
ideas are suggested : 

The law of Christianity and of democracy, which teaches 
that all men are born equal in rights, and that their interests 
and feelings should be regarded as of equal value, seems to 
be adopted in aristocratic circles, with exclusive reference 
to the class in which the individual moves. The courtly 
gentleman addresses all of his own class with politeness and 
respect, and in all his actions seems to allow that the feel- 
ings and convenience of these others are to be regarded the 
same as his own. But his demeanor to those of inferior 
station is not based on the same rule. 



DOMESTIC MANNERS. 263 

Among those who make up aristocratic circles, such as 
are above them are deemed of superior, and such as are be- 
low of inferior, value. Thus, if a young, ignorant, and vi- 
cious coxcomb happens to have been born a lord, the aged, 
the virtuous, the learned, and the well-bred of another class 
must give his convenience the precedence, and must address 
him in terms of respect. So, sometimes, when a man of 
"noble birth" is thrown among the lower classes, he de- 
means himself in a style which, to persons of his own class, 
would be deemed the height of assumption and rudeness. 

Now, the principles of democracy require that the same 
courtesy which we accord to our own circle shall be extend- 
ed to every class and condition ; and that distinctions of su- 
periority and subordination shall depend, not on accidents 
of birth, fortune, or occupation, but solely on those mutual 
relations which the good of all classes equally require. The 
distinctions demanded in a democratic state are simply 
those wfiich result from relations that are common to every 
class, and are for the benefit of all. 

It is for the benefit of every class that children be subor- 
dinate to parents, pupils to teachers, the employed to their 
employers, and subjects to magistrates. In addition to this, 
it is for the general well-being that the comfort or conven- 
ience of the delicate and feeble should be preferred to that 
of the strong and healthy, who would sufier less by any dep- 
rivation ; that precedence should be given to their elders 
by the young; and that reverence should be given to the 
hoary head. 

The rules of good-breeding, in a democratic state, must be 
founded on these principles. It is indeed assumed that the 
value of the happiness of each individual is the same as that 
of every other ; but as there must be occasions where there 
are advantages which all can not enjoy, there must be 
general rules for regulating a selection. Otherwise, there 
would be constant scrambling among those of equal claims, 
and brute force must be the final resort ; in which case the 
strongest would have the best of every thing. The demo- 
cratic rule, then, is, that superiors in age, station, or office, 
have precedence <^ subordinates ; age and feebleness, of 



264 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

youth and strength ; and the feebler sex, of more vigorous 
man.* 

There is, also, a style of deportment and address which is 
appropriate to these different relations. It is suitable for a 
superior to secure compliance with his wishes from those 
subordinate to him by commands ; but a subordinate must 
secure compliance with his wishes from a superior by re- 
quest. (Although the kind and considerate manner to sub- 
ordinates will always be found the most effective as well as 
the pleasantest, by those in superior station.) It is suitable 
for a parent, teacher, or employer, to admonish for neglect 
of duty ; but not for an inferior to adopt snch a course to- 
ward a superior. It is suitable for a superior to take prece- 
dence of a subordinate without any remark ; but not for 
an inferior without previously asking leave, or offering an 
apology. It is proper for a superior to use language and 
manners of freedom and familiarity which would be improp- 
er from a subordinate to a superior. 

The want of due regard to these proprieties occasions a 
great defect in American manners. It is very common to 
hear children talk to their parents in a style proper only 
between companions and equals ; so, also, the young address 
their elders ; those employed, their employers ; and domes- 
tics, the members of the family and their visitors in a style 
which is inappropriate to their relative positions. But court- 
eous address is required not merely toward superiors; ev- 
ery person desires to be thus treated, and therefore the law 
of benevolence demands such demeanor toward all whom we 
meet in the social intercourse of life. " Be ye courteous," 
is the direction of the apostle in reference to our treatment 
of all. 

Good manners can be successfully cultivated only in early 
life and in the domestic circle. There is nothing ilVhich de- 
pends so much upon hahit as the constantly recurring pro- 

* The universal practice of this nation, in thus giving precedence to wom- 
an has been severely commented on by foreigners, and by some who would 
transfer all the business of the other sex to women, and then have them 
treated like men. But we hope this evidence of our superior civilization and 
Christianity may increase rather than diminish. « 



DOMESTIC MANNERS. 265 

prieties of good-breeding ; and if a child grows up without 
forming such habits, it is very rarely the case that they can 
be formed at a later period. The feeling that it is of little 
consequence how we behave at home if we conduct ourselves 
properly abroad, is a very fallacious one. Persons who are 
careless and ill-bred at home may imagine that they can as- 
sume good manners abroad ; but they mistake. Fixed hab- 
its of tone, manner, language, and movements can not be 
suddenly altered ; and those who are ill-bred at home, even 
when they try to hide their bad habits, are sure to violate 
many of the obvious rules of propriety, and yet be uncon- 
scious of it. 

And there is nothing which would so effectually remove 
prejudice against our democratic institutions as the general 
cultivation of good-breeding in the domestic circle. Good 
manners are the exterior of benevolence, the minute and con- 
stant exhibitions of " peace and good-will;" and the nation, 
as well as the individual, which most excels in the external 
demonstration, as well as the internal principle, will be most 
respected and beloved. 

It is only the training of the family state according to its 
true end and aim that is to secure to woman her true posi- 
tion and rights. When the family is instituted by marriage, 
it is man who is the head and chief magistrate by the force 
of his physical power and requirement of the chief responsi- 
bility ; not less is he so according to the Christian law, by 
which, when differences arise, the husband has the deciding 
control, and the wife is to obey. " Where love is, there is 
no law ;" but where love is not, the only dignified and peace- 
ful course is for the wife, however much the man's superior, 
to " submit, as to God and not to man." 

But this power of nature and of religion, given to man as 
the controlling head, involves to him especially the distinct- 
ive duty of the family state, self-sacrificing love. The hus- 
band is to "honor" the wife, to love her as himself, and 
thus to account her Avishes and happiness as of equal value 
with his own. But more than this, he is to love her " as 
Christ loved the Church;" that is, he is to "suffer" for her, 
if need be, in order to support and elevate and ennoble her. 

12 



266 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

The father, then, is to set the example of self-sacriiicing 
love and devotion ; and the mother, of Christian obedience, 
when it is required. Every boy is to be trained for his fu- 
ture domestic position by labor and sacrifices for his mother 
and sisters. It is the brother who is to do the hardest and 
most disagreeable work, to face the storms, and perform the 
most laborious drudgeries. In the fixmily circle, too, he is 
to give his mother and sister precedence in all the conven- 
iences and comforts of home life. 

It is only in those nations Avhffre the teachings and exam- 
ple of Christ have had most influence that man has ever 
assumed his oblig-ations of self-sacriticingj benevolence in the 
family. And even in Christian communities, the duty of 
wives to obey their husbands has been more strenuously 
urged, than the obligations of the husband to love his wife 
" as Christ loved the Church." 

Here it is needful to notice that the distinctive duty of 
obedience to man does not rest on women who do not enter 
the relations of married life. A woman who inherits prop- 
erty, or who earns her own livelihood, can institute the fam- 
ily state, adopt orphan children, and employ suitable helpers 
in training them ; and then to her will appertain the authori- 
ty and rights that belong to man as the head of a family. 
And when every woman is trained to some self-supporting 
business, she will not be tempted to enter the family state 
as a subordinate, except by that love for which there is no 
need of law. 

These general principles being stated, some details in re- 
gard to domestic manners will be enumerated. 

In the first place, there should be required in the family 
a strict attention to the rules of precedence, and those modes 
of address appropriate to the various relations to be sus- 
tained. Children should always be required to ofi*er their 
superiors in age or station the precedence in all comforts 
and conveniences, and always address them in a respect- 
ful tone and manner. The custom of adding, " Sir," or 
"Ma'am," to "Yes," or "No," is valuable, as a perpetual 
indication of a respectful recognition of superiority. It is 
now going out of fashion, even among the most well-bred 



DOirESTIC MANNERS. 267 

peojile ; probably from a want of consideration of its impor- 
tance. Every remnant of courtesy of address in our cus- 
toms should be carefully cherished by all who feel a value 
for the proprieties of good-breeding. 

If parents allow their children to talk to them, and to the 
grown jDcrsons in the family, in the same style in which they 
address each other, it will be in vain to hope for the courte- 
sy of manner and tone which good-breeding demands in the 
general intercourse of society. In a large family, where the 
elder children are grown up and the younger are small, it is 
important to require the latter to treat the elder in some 
sense as superiors. There are none so ready as young chil- 
dren to assume airs of equality ; and if they are allowed to 
treat one class of superiors in age and character disrespect- 
fully, they will soon use the privilege universally. This is 
the reason, why the youngest children of a family are most 
apt to be pert, forward, and unmannerly. 

Another point to be aimed at is, to require children al- 
ways to acknowledge every act of kindness and attention, 
cither by words or manner. If they are so trained as always 
to make q^rateful acknowledgements Avhen receivino- favors, 
one of the objectionable features in American manners will 
be avoided. 

Again, children should be required to ask leave, whenever 
they wish to gratify curiosity, or use an article which be- 
longs to another. And if cases occur when they can not 
comply with the rules of good-breeding — as, for instance, 
when they must step between a person and the fire, or take 
the chair of an older person — they should be taught either 
to ask leave or to offer an apology. 

There is another point of good-breeding which can not, in 
all cases, be understood and applied by children in its widest 
extent. It is that which requires us to avoid all remarks 
which tend to embarrass, vex, mortify, or in any way wound 
the feelings of another. To notice personal defects ; to al- 
lude to others' faults, or the faults of their friends; to speak 
disparagingly of the sect or party to which a person belongs; 
to be inattentive when addressed in conversation; to contra- 
dict flatly; to speak in contemptuous tones of opinions ex- 



268 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPEE. 

pressed by another; all these are violations of the rules of 
good-breeding, which children should be taught to regard. 
Under this head comes the practice of whispering and star- 
ing about when a teacher, or lecturer, or clergyman is ad- 
dressing a class or audience. Such inattention is practically 
saying that what the person is uttering'is not worth attend- 
ing to; and persons of real good-breeding always avoid it. 
Loud talking and laughing in a large assembly, even when 
no exercises are going on ; yawning and gaping in company; 
and not looking in the face a person who is addressing you, 
are deemed marks of ill-breeding. 

Another branch of good manners relates to the duties of 
hospitality. Politeness requires us to welcome visitors with 
cordiality; to. offer them the best accommodations; to ad- 
dress conversation to them; and to express, by tone and 
manner, kindness and respect. Offering the hand to all vis- 
itors at one's own house is a courteous and hospitable cus- 
tom ; and a cordial shake of the hand, when friends meet, 
would abate much of the coldness of manner ascribed to 
Americans. 

Another point of good-breeding refers to the conventional 
rules of propriety and good taste. Of these, the first class 
relates to the avoidance of all disgusting or offensive person- 
al habits: such as fingering the hair; obtrusively using a 
tooth-pick, or carrying one in the mouth after the needful use 
of it ; cleaning the nails in presence of others ; picking the 
nose ; spitting on carpets ; snuflSng instead of using a hand- 
kerchief, or using the article in an offensive manner; lifting 
up the boots or shoes, as some men do, to tend them on the 
knee, or to finger them : all these tricks, either at home or in 
society, children should be taught to avoid. 

Another topic, under this head, may be called table man- 
ners. To persons of good-breeding nothing is more annoy- 
ing than violations of the conventional proprieties of the ta 
ble. Reaching over another person's plate ; standing up tr 
reach distant articles, instead of asking to have them passed 
using one's own knife and spoon for butter, salt, or sugar 
when it is the custom of the family to provide separate uten 
«ils for the purpose ; setting cups with the tea dripping fron 



DOMESTIC MANNERS. 269 

tbem on the table-cloth, instead of the mats or small plates 
furnished; using the table-cloth instead of the napkins; eat- 
ing fast, and in a noisy manner ; putting large pieces in the 
mouth ; looking and eating as if very hungry, or as if anx- 
ious to get at certain dishes; sitting at too great a distance 
from the table, and dropping food; laying the knife and fork 
on the table-cloth, instead of on the edge of the plate ; pick- 
ing the teeth at the table: all these particulars children 
should be taught to avoid. 

It is always desirable, too, to train children, when at table 
with grown persons, to be silent, except when addressed by 
others ; or else their chattering will interrupt the conversa- 
tion and comfort of their elders. They should always be 
required, too, to wait in silence till all the older persons are 
helped. 

When children are alone with their parents, it is desirable 
to lead them to converse and to take this as an opportunity 
to form proper conversational habits. But it should be a 
fixed rule that, when strangers are present, the children are 
to listen in silence, and only reply when addressed. Unless 
this is secured, visitors will often be condemned to listen to 
puerile chattering, with small chance of the proper attention 
due to guests and superiors in age and station. 

Children should be trained, in preparing themselves for 
the table or for appearance among the family, not only to 
put their hair, face, and hands in neat order, but also their 
nails, and to habitually attend to this latter w^henever they 
wash their hands. 

There are some very disagreeable tricks which many chil- 
dren practice even in families counted well-bred. Such, for 
example, are drumming with the fingers on some piece of 
furniture, or humming a tune while others are talking, or in- 
terrupting conversation by pertinacious questions, or w^his- 
tling in the house instead of outdoors, or speaking several 
at once and in loud voices to gain attention. All these are 
violations of good-breeding, which children should be train- 
ed to avoid, lest they should not only annoy as children, but 
practice the same kind of ill manners when mature. In all 
assemblies for public debate, a chairman or moderator is ap- 



2T0 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

pointed whose business it is to see that only one person 
speaks at a time, that no one interrupts a person when 
speaking, that no needless noises are made, and that all in- 
decorums are avoided. Such an officer is sometimes greatly 
needed m family circles. - 

Children should be encouraged freely to use lungs and 
limbs outdoors, or in hours for sport in the house. But at 
other times, in the domestic circle, gentle tones and manners 
should be cultivated. The words gentleman and gentle- 
icoman came originally from the fact that the uncultivated 
and ignorant classes used coarse and loud tones, and rough 
words and movements ; while only the refined circles habit- 
ually used gentle tones and gentle manners. For the same 
reason, those born in the higher circles were called " of gentle 
blood." Thus it came that a coarse and loud voice, and 
rough, ungentle manners, are regarded as vulgar and ple- 
beian. 

All these things should be taught to children gradually, 
and with great patience and gentleness. Some parents, with 
whom good manners are a great object, are in danger of 
making their children perpetually uncomfortable, by sud- 
denly surrounding them with so many rules that they must 
inevitably violate some one or other a great part of the 
time. It is much better to begin with a few rules, and be 
steady and persevering with these till a habit is formed, 
and then take a ie\Y more, thus making the process easy and 
gradual. Otherwise, the temper of children will be injured; 
or, hopeless of fulfilling so many requisitions, they will be- 
come reckless and indifferent to all. 

If a few brief, well-considered, and sensible rules of good 
manners could be suspended in every school-room, and the 
children all required to commit them to memory, it proba- 
bly would do more to remedy the defects of American man- 
ners, and to advance universal good-breeding, than any other 
mode that could be so easily adopted. 

But, in reference to those who have enj.oyed advantages 
for the cultivation of good manners, and who duly estimate 
its importance, one caution is necessary. Those who never 
have had such habits formed in youth are under disadvan- 



DOMESTIC MANNEES. 271 

tages which no benevolence of temper can altogether reme- 
dy. They may often violate the tastes and feelings of 
others, not from a want of proper regard for them, but from 
ignorance of custom, or want of habit, or abstraction of 
mind, or from other causes which demand forbearance and 
sympathy, rather than displeasure. An ability to bear pa- 
tiently with defects in manners, and to make candid and 
considerate allowance for a want of advantages, or for pecul- 
iarities in mental habits, is one mark of the benevolence of 
real o-ood-breedino;. 

The advocates of monarchical and aristocratic institutions 
have always had great plausibility given to their views, by 
the seeming tendencies of our institutions to insubordination 
and bad manners. And it has been too indiscriminately 
conceded by the defenders of the latter that such are these 
tendencies, and that the offensive points in American man- 
ners are the necessary result of democratic principles. 

But it is believed that both facts and reasoning are in op- 
position to this opinion. The following extract from the 
work of De Tocqueville, the great political philosopher of 
France, exhibits the opinion of an impartial observer, when 
comparing American manners with those of the English, 
who are confessedly the most aristocratic of all people. 

He previously remarks on the tendency of aristocracy to 
make men more sympathizing with persons of their own 
peculiar class, and less so toward those of lower degree ; 
and he then contrasts American manners with the English, 
claiming that the Americans are much the more-affable, 
mild, and social. " In America, where the privileges of 
birth never existed, and where riches confer no peculiar 
rights on their possessors, men acquainted with each other 
are very ready to frequent the same places, and find neither 
peril nor disadvantage in the free interchange of their 
thoughts. If they meet by accident, they neither seek nor 
avoid intercourse ; their manner is therefore natural, frank, 
and open." "If their demeanor is often cold and serious, 
it is never haughty nor constrained." But an " aristocratic 
pride is still extremely great among the English ; and as 
the limits of aristocracy are still ill -defined, every body 



2*72 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

lives in constant dread lest advantage should be taken of 
his familiarity. Unable to judge at once of the social posi- 
tion of those he meets, an Englishman prudently avoids all 
contact with them. Men are afraid lest some slight service 
rendered should draw them into an unsuitable acquaintance; 
they dread civilities, and they avoid the obtrusive gratitude 
of a stranger as much as his hatred." 

Thus, facts seem to show that when the most aristocratic 
nation in the world is compared, as to manners, with the 
most democratic, the judgment of strangers is in favor of 
the latter. And if good manners are the outward exhibi- 
tion of the democratic principle of impartial benevolence 
and equal rights, surely the nation which adopts this rule, 
both in social and civil life, is the most likely to secure the 
desirable exterior. The aristocrat, by his principles, ex- 
tends the exterior of impartial benevolence to his own class 
only; the democratic principle requires it to be extended 
to all. 

There is reason, therefore, to hope and expect more refined 
and polished manners in America than in any other land ; 
while all the developments of taste and refinement, such as 
poetry, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture, it may 
be expected, will come to as high a state of perfection here 
as in any other nation. 

If this country increases in virtue and intelligence as it 
may, there is no end to the wealth which will pour in as the 
result of our resources of climate, soil, and navigation, and 
the skill, industry, energy, and enterprise of our countrymen. 
This wealth, if used as intelligence and virtue dictate, will 
furnish the means for a superior education to all classes, 
and every facility for the refinement of taste, intellect, and 
feeling. 

Moreover, in this country, labor is ceasing to be the badge 
of a lower class ; so that already it is disreputable for a man 
to be " a lazy gentleman." And this feeling must increase, 
till there is such an equalization of labor as will afford all 
the time needful for every class to improve the many ad- 
vantages offered to them. Already, through the munificence 
of some of our citizens, there are literary and scientific ad- 



DOMESTIC MAXXEKS. 273 

vantages offered to all classes, rarely enjoyed elsewhere. In 
most of our large cities and towns the advantages of edu- 
cation now offered to the poorest classes, often without 
charge, surpass what, some years ago, most wealthy men 
could purchase for any price ; and it is believed that a time 
will come when the poorest boy in America can secure ad- 
vantages which will equal what the heir of the j)roudest peer- 
age can now command. 

The records of the courts of France and Germany, (as de- 
tailed by the Duchess of Orleans,) in and succeeding the 
brilliant reign of Louis the Fourteenth — a period which was 
deemed the acme of elegance and refinement — exhibit a 
grossness, a vulgarity, and a coarseness, not to be found 
among the very lowest of our respectable poor. And the 
biography of the English Beau ISTash, who attempted to re- 
form the maimers of the gentry in the times of Queen Anne, 
exhibits violations of the rules of decency among the aristoc- 
racy which the commonest yeoman of this land w^ould feel 
disgraced in perpetrating. 

This show^s that our lowest classes, at this period, are more 
refined than were the highest in aristocratic lands a hun- 
dred years ago; and another century may show the lowest 
classes in wealth, in this country, attaining as high a polish 
as adorns those who now are leaders of good manners in the 
courts of kings. 

12* 



274 THE HOUSEKEEPER A^'D HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PRESERVATION OF GOOD TEMPER IN THE HOUSEKEEPER. 

There is nothing Avhich has a more abiding influence on 
the happiness of a family than the preservation of equable 
and cheerful temper and tones in the housekeeper. A wom- 
an who is habitually gentle, sympathizing, forbearing, and 
cheerful, carries an atmosphere about her which imparts a 
soothing and sustaining influence, and renders it easier for 
all to do right, under her administration, than in any other 
situation. 

The writer has known families where the mother's pres- 
ence seemed the sunshine of the circle around her — impart- 
ing a cheering and vivifying power, scarcely realized till it 
w^as withdrawn. Every one, Avithout thinking of it, or 
knowing why it was so, experienced a peaceful and invigor- 
ating influence as soon as he entered the sphere illumined 
by her smile and sustained by her cheering kindness and 
sympathy. On the contrary, many a good housekeeper, 
(good in every respect but this,) by wearing a countenance 
of anxiety and dissatisfaction, and by indulging in the fre- 
quent use of sharp and reprehensive tones, more than de- 
stroys all the comfort which otherwise would result from 
her system, neatness, and economy. 

There is a secret, social sympathy which every mind, to 
a greater or less degree, experiences with the feelings of 
those around, as they are manifested by the countenance 
and voice. A sorrowful, a discontented, or an angry coun- 
tenance produces a silent, sympathetic influence, imparting 
a sombre shade to the mind, while tones of anger or com- 
plaint still more efiectually jar the spirits. 

No person can maintain a quiet and cheerful frame of 
mind while tones of discontent and displeasure are sounding 
on the ear. We may gradually accustom ourselves to the 
evil till it is partially diminished; but it always is an eVil 



THE PKESERYATIOX OF GOOD TEMPEE. 2*75 

which greatly interferes with the enjoyment of the family 
state. There are sometimes cases where the entrance of the 
mistress of a family seems to awaken a slight apprehension 
in every mind around, as if each felt in danger of a reproof, 
for something either perpetrated or neglected. A woman 
who should go around her house with a small stinging snap- 
per, which she habitually applied to those Avhom she met, 
would be encountered with feelings very much like those 
Avhich are experienced by the inmates of a family where the 
mistress often uses her countenance and voice to inflict simi- 
lar penalties for duties neglected. 

Yet there are many allowances to be made for housekeep- 
ers who sometimes imjierceptibly and unconsciously fall into 
such habits. A woman who attempts to carry out any plans 
of system, order, and economy, and who has her feelings and 
habits conformed to certain rules, is constantly liable to 
have her plans crossed, and her taste violated, by the inex- 
perience or inattention of those about her. And no house- 
keeper, whatever may be her habits, can escape the frequent 
recurrence of negligence or mistake which interferes with 
her plans. 

It is probable that there is no class of persons in the 
world who have such incessant trials of temper, and tempta- 
tions to be fretful, as American housekeepers; for a house- 
keeper's business is not, like that of the other sex, limited to 
a particular department, for which previous preparation is 
made. It consists often thousand little disconnected items, 
which can never be so systematically arranged that there is 
no daily jostling somewhere. And in the best-regulated 
families it is not uufrequently the case that some act of for- 
getfulness or carelessness from some member will disarrange 
the business of the w^hole day, so that every hour will bring 
renewed occasion for annoyance. And the more strongly a 
w^oman realizes the value of time, and the importance of sys- 
tem and order, the more wall she be tempted to irritability 
and complaint. 

The following considerations may aid in preparing a wom- 
an to meet such daily crosses with even a cheerful temper 
and tones. 



276 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 

In the first place, a woman who has charge of a large 
household should regard her duties as dignified, important, 
and difiicult. The mind is so made as to be elevated and 
cheered by a sense of far-reaching influence and usefulness. 
A woman who feels that she is a cipher, and that it makes 
little difference how she performs her duties, has far less to 
sustain and invigorate her than one who truly estimates 
the importance of her station. A man who feels that the 
destinies of a nation are turning on the judgment and skill 
with which he plans and executes, has a pressure of motive 
and an elevation of feeling which are great safeguards 
against all that is low, trivial, and degrading. 

So, an American mother and housekeeper who rightly 
estimates the long train of influence which will pass down 
to thousands whose destinies, from generation to generation, 
will be modified by those decisions of her will which regu- 
late the temper, principles, and habits of her family, must be 
elevated above petty temptations which would otherwise 
assail her. 

Again, a housekeeper should feel that she really has great 
difiiculties to meet and overcome. A peison who wrongly 
thinks there is little danger, can never maintain so faithful a 
guard as one who rightly estimates the temptations which 
beset her. Nor can one who thinks that they are trifling 
difiiculties which she has to encounter, and trivial tempta- 
tions to which she must yield, so much enjoy the just reward 
of conscious virtue and self-control as one who takes an op- 
posite view of the subject. 

A third method is, for a woman deliberately to calculate 
on having her best-arranged plans interfered with very oft- 
en, and to be in such a state of preparation that the evil 
will not come unawares. So complicated are the pursuits, 
and so diverse the habits of the various members of a family, 
that it is almost impossible for every one to avoid interfer- 
ing with the plans and taste of a housekeeper in some one 
point or another. It is, therefore, most wise for a woman to 
keep the loins of her mind ever girt, to meet such collisions 
with a cheerful and quiet spirit. 

Another important rule is, to form all plans and arrange- 



THE PRESERVATION OF GOOD TEMPER. 277 

merits in consistency with the means at command, and the 
character of those around. A woman who lias a heedless 
husband, and young children, and incompetent domestics, 
ought not to make such plans as one may properly form 
who will not, in so many directions, meet embarrassment. 
She must aim at just as much as she can probably attain, 
and no more ; and thus she will usually escape much temp- 
tation, and much of the irritation of disappointment. 

The fifth, and a very important consideration, is, that sys- 
tem, economy, and neatness, are valuable only so far as they 
tend to promote the comfort and well-being of those affect- 
ed. Some women seem to act under the impression that 
these advantages must be secured, at all events, even if the 
comfort of the family be the sacrifice. True, it is very im- 
portant that children grow up in habits of system, neatness, 
and order; and it is very desirable that the mother give 
them every incentive, both by precept and example ; but it 
is still more important that they grow up with amiable tem- 
pers, that they learn to meet the crosses of life with patience 
and cheerfulness ; and nothing has a greater influence to se- 
cure this than a mother's example. Whenever, therefore, a 
woman can not accomplish her jjlans of neatness and order 
-without injury to her own temper or to the temper of others, 
she ought to modify and reduce them until she can. 

The sixth method relates to the government of the tones 
of voice. In many cases, when a woman's domestic arrange- 
ments are suddenly and seriously crossed, it is impossible 
not to feel some irritation. But it is always possible to re- 
frain from angry tones. A woman can resolve that, what- 
ever happens, she will not speak till she can do it in a calm 
and gentle manner. Perfect silence is a safe resort, when 
such control can not be attained as enables a person to 
speak calmly ; and this determination, persevered in, will 
eventually be crowned with success. 

Many persons seem to imagine that tones of anger are 
needful, in order to secure prompt obedience. But observa- 
tion has convinced the writer that they are never necessary ; 
that in all cases reproof administered in calm tones would be 
better. A case will be given in illustration. 



278 TUE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

A young girl had been repeatedly charged to avoid a 
certain arrangement in cooking. On one day, Avhen com- 
pany was invited to dine, the direction was forgotten, and 
the consequence was an accident which disarranged every 
thing, seriously injured the principal dish, and delayed din- 
ner for an hour. The mistress of the family entered the 
kitchen just as it occurred, and at a glance saw the extent 
of the mischief. For a moment her eyes flashed and her 
cheeks glowed ; but she held her peace. After a minute or 
so, she gave directions in a calm voice as to the best mode 
of retrieving the evil, and then left, without a word said to 
the offender. 

After the company left, she sent for the girl, alone, and 
in a calm and kind manner pointed out the aggravations of 
the case, and described the trouble which had been caused 
to her husband, her visitors, and herself. She then por- 
trayed the future evils which would result from such habits 
of neglect and inattention, and the modes of attempting to 
overcome them ; and then offered a reward for the future, 
if, in a given time, she succeeded in improving in this re- 
spect. Not a tone of anger was uttered; and yet the se- 
verest scolding of a practiced Xantippe could not have se- 
cured such contrition, and determination to reform, as were 
gained by this method. 

But similar negligence is often visited by a continuous 
stream of complaint and reproof, which, in most cases, is 
met either by sullen silence or impertinent retort, while 
anger prevents any contrition or any resolution of future 
amendment. 

It is very certain that some ladies do carry forward a 
most efficient government, both of children and domestics, 
without employing tones of anger; and therefore they are 
not indispensable, nor on any account desirable. 

Thouo'h some ladies of intellio-ence and refinement do fall 
unconsciously into such a practice, it is certainly very un- 
lady-like, and in very bad taste, to scold; and the further a 
woman departs from all approach to it, the more perfectly 
she sustains her character as a lady. 

Another method of securing equanimity amidst the trials 



THE PEESEEVATIOX OF GOOD TEMPEE. 2*79 

of domestic life is, to cultivate a habit of making allowances 
for the difficulties, ignorance, or temptations of those who 
violate rule or neglect duty. It is vain, and most unreason- 
able, to expect the consideration and care of a mature mind 
in childhood and youth ; or that persons of such limited ad- 
vantages as most domestics have enjoyed should practice 
proper self-control, and possess proper habits and principles. 

Every parent and every employer needs daily to culti- 
vate the spirit expressed in the divine prayer, " Forgive us 
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." 
The same allowances and forbearance which we supplicate 
from our Heavenly Father, and desire from our fellow-mea 
ifi reference to our own deficiencies, we should constantly 
aim to extend to all who cross our feelings and interfere 
with our plans. 

The last and most important mode of securing a placid 
and cheerful temper and tones is, by a constant belief in the 
influence of a superintending Providence. All persons are 
too much in the habit of regarding the more important 
events of life exclusively as under the control of Perfect 
Wisdom ; but the fall of a sparrow, or the loss of a hair, 
they do not feel to be equally the result of his directing 
agency. In consequence of this. Christian persons who aim 
at perfect and cheerful submission to heavy afflictions, and 
who succeed to the edification of all about them, are some- 
times sadly deficient under petty crosses. If a beloved 
child be laid in the grave, even if its death resulted from 
the carelessness of a domestic or of a physician, the eye is 
turned from the subordinate agent to the Supreme Guardian 
of all ; and to him they bow, without murmur or complaint. 
But if a pudding be burned, or a room badly swept, or an 
errand forgotten, then vexation and complaint are allowed, 
just as if these events were not appointed by Perfect Wis- 
dom as much as the sorer chastisement. 

A woman, therefore, needs to cultivate the habitual feel- 
ing that all the events of her nursery and kitchen are 
brought about by the permission of our Heavenly Father; 
and that fretfulness or complaint in regard to these is, in 
fact, complaining at the appointments of God, and is really 



280 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

as sinful as unsubmissive murmurs amidst the sorer chastise- 
ments of Iris hand. And a woman who cultivates this habit 
of referring all the minor trials of life to the wise and be- 
nevolent agency of a heavenly Parent, and daily seeks his 
sympathy and aid to enable her to meet them with a quiet 
and cheerful spirit, will soon find it the perennial spring of 
abiding peace and content. 

The power of religion to impart dignity and importance 
to the ordinary and seemingly petty details of domestic life 
greatly depends upon the degree of faith in the reality of a 
life to come, and of its eternal results. A woman who is 
training a family simply with reference to this life may find 
exalted motives as she looks forward to unborn generations, 
whose temporal prosperity and happiness are depending 
upon her fidelity and skill. But one who truly and firmly 
believes that this life is but the beginning of an eternal 
career to every immortal inmate of her home, and that the 
formation of tastes, habits, and character, under her care, 
will bring forth fruits of good or ill, not only through earth- 
ly generations, but through everlasting ages — such a woman 
secures a calm and exalted principle of action, and a source 
of peace which no earthly motives can impart. 



HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER. 281 



CHAPTER XV. 

HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER. 

Any discussion of the equality of the sexes as to intellect- 
ual capacity seems frivolous and useless, both because it 
can never be decided, and because there would be no possi- 
ble advantage in the decision. But one topic, Avhich is oft- 
en drawn into this discussion, is of far more consequence ; 
and that is, the relative importance and difficulty of the 
duties a woman is called to perform. 

It is generally assumed, and almost as generally conceded, 
that a housekeeper's business and cares are contracted and 
trivial ; and that the proper discharge of her duties de- 
mands far less expansion of mind and vigor of intellect than 
the pursuits of the other sex. This idea has prevailecT be- 
cause women, as a mass, have never been educated with ref- 
erence to their most important duties; while that portion 
of their employments which is of least value has been re- 
garded as the chief, if not the sole, concern of a woman. 
The covering of the body, the convenience of residences, 
and the gratification of the appetite, have been too much re- 
garded as the chief objects on which her intellectual powers 
are to be exercised. 

But as society gradually shakes off the remnants of bar- 
barism and the intellectual and moral interests of man rise, 
in estimation, above the merely sensual, a truer estimate is 
formed of woman's duties, and of the measure of intellect 
requisite for the proper discharge of them. Let any man of 
sense and discernment become the member of a large house- 
hold, in which a well-educated and pious woman is endeav- 
oring systematically to discharge her multiform duties; let 
him fully comprehend all her cares, difficulties, and perplex- 
ities; and it is probable he would coincide in the opinion 
that no statesman at the head of a nation's affairs had more 
frequent calls for wisdom, firmness, tact, discrimination, pru- 
dence, and versatility of talent, than such a woman. 



282 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

She has a husband, to whose peculiar tastes and habits 
she must accommodate herself; she has children, whose 
health she must guard, whose physical constitutions she 
must study and develop, whose temper and habits she must 
regulate, whose principles she must form, whose pursuits she 
must guide. She has constantly changing domestics, with 
all varieties of temper and habits, whom she' must govern, 
instruct, and direct ; she is required to regulate the finances 
of the domestic state, and constantly to adapt expenditures 
to the means and to the relative claims of each department. 
She has the direction of the kitchen, where ignorance, for- 
getfulness, and awkwardness, are to be so regulated that the 
various operations shall each start at the right time, and all 
be in completeness at the same given hour. She has the 
claims of society to meet, visits to receive and return, and 
the duties of hospitality to sustain. She has thepoor to re- 
lieve; benevolent societies to aid; the schools of her chil- 
dren to inquire and decide about; the care of the sick and 
the aged; the nursing of infancy; and the endless miscel- 
lany of odd items constantly recurring in a large family. 

Surely it is a pernicious and mistaken idea that the duties 
which tax a woman's mind are petty, trivial, or unworthy of 
the highest grade of intellect and moral worth. Instead of 
allowing this feeling, every woman should imbibe, from ear- 
ly youth, the impression that she is in training for the dis- 
charge of the most important, the most difficult, and the 
most sacred and interesting duties that can possibly employ 
the hisrhest intellect. She ouo-ht to feel that her station 
'and responsibilities in the great drama of life are second to 
none, either as viewed by her Maker or in the estimation of 
all minds whose judgment is most worthy of respect. 

She who is the mother and housekeeper in a large family 
is the sovereign of an empire, demanding more varied cares, 
and involving more difficult duties, than are really exacted 
of her who wears a crown and j^rofessedly regulates the in- 
terests of the greatest nation on earth. 

There is no one thing more necessary to a housekeeper, 
in performing her varied duties, than a licibit of system and 
order; and yet the peculiarly desultory nature of women's 



HABITS OF SYSTEM AND OEDER. 283 

pursuits, and the embarrassments resulting from the state 
of domestic service in this country, render it very difficult 
to form such a habit. But it is sometimes the case that 
women who could and would carry forward a systematic 
plan of domestic economy do not attempt it, simply from a 
want of knowledofe of the various modes of introducino- it. 
It is with reference to such that various modes of securing 
system and order, which the writer has seen adopted, will be 
pointed out. 

A wise economy is nowhere more conspicuous than in a 
systematic a2}portionment of time to different pursuits. 
There are duties of a religious, intellectual, social, and do- 
mestic nature, each having different relative claims on at- 
tention. Unless a person has some general plan of appor- 
tioning these claims, some will intrench on others, and 
some, it is probable, will be entirely excluded. Thus some 
find religious, social, and domestic duties so numerous, that 
no time is given to intellectual improvement. Others find 
either social, or benevolent, or religious interests excluded 
by the extent and variety of other engagements. 

It is wise, therefore, for all persons to devise a systematic 
plan which they will at least keep in view and aim to ac- 
complish, and by which a proper proportion of time shall 
be secured for all the duties of life. 

In forming such a plan, every woman must accommodate 
herself to the peculiarities of her situation. If she has a 
large family and a small income, she must devote far more 
time to the simple duty of providing food and raiment than 
would be right were she in affluence, and with a small 
family. It is impossible, therefore, to draw out any general 
plan which all can adopt. But there are some general prin- 
ciples^ which ought to be the guiding rules, when a woman 
arranges her domestic employments. These principles are 
to be based on Christianity, which teaches us to "seek first 
the kingdom of God," and to deem food, raiment, and the 
conveniences of life as of secondary account. Every wom- 
an, then, ought to start with the assumption that the moral 
and religious interests of her family are of more consequence 
than any worldly concern, and that, whatever else may be 



284 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

sacrificed, these shall be the leading object, in all her ar- 
rangements, in respect to time, money, and attention. 

It is also one of the plainest requisitions of Christianity, 
that we devote some of our time and efforts to the comfort 
and improvement of others. There is no duty so constantly 
enforced, both in the Old and New Testament, as that of 
charity, in dispensing to those who are destitute of the bless- 
ings we enjoy. In selecting objects of charity, the same 
rule applies to others as to ourselves ; their moral and re- 
lio-ious interests are of the highest moment, and for them, as 
well as for ourselves, we are to " seek first the kingdom of 
God." 

Another general i^rinciple is, that our intellectual and 
social interests are to be preferred to the mere gratification 
of taste or appetite. A portion of time, therefore, must be 
devoted to the cultivation of the intellect and the social af- 
fections. 

Another is, that the mere gratification of appetite is to 
be placed last in our estimate ; so that when a question 
arises as to which shall be sacrificed, some intellectual, 
moral, or social advantage, or some gratification of sense, we 
should invariably sacrifice the last. 

As health is indispensable to the discharge of every duty, 
nothing which sacrifices that blessing is to be allowed in or- 
der to gain any other advantage or enjoyment. There are 
emergencies when it is right to risk health and life to save 
ourselves and others from greater evils; but these are ex- 
ceptions, which do not militate against the general rule. 
Many persons imagine that if they violate the laws of health 
in order to attend to religious or domestic duties, they are 
guiltless before God. But such greatly mistake. We di- 
rectly violate the law, " Thou shalt not kill," when we do 
what tends to risk or shorten our own life. The life and 
happiness of all his creatures are dear to our Creator ; and 
he is as much displeased when we injure our own interests 
as when we injure those of others. The idea, therefore, that 
we are excusable if we harm no one but ourselves, is false 
and pernicious. These, then, are some general principles to 
guide a woman in systematizing her duties and pursuits. 



HABltS OF SYSTEM AXD ORDEK. 285 

The Creator of all things is a Being of perfect system and 
order ; and, to aid us in our duty in this respect, he has di- 
vided our time by a regularly returning day of rest from 
worldly business. In following this example, the interven- 
ing six days may be subdivided to secure similar benefits. 
In doing this, a certain portion of time must be given to 
procure the means of livelihood, and for preparing food, rai- 
ment, and dwellings. To these objects some must devote 
more, and others less, attention. The remainder of time not 
necessarily thus employed might be divided somewhat in 
this manner: The leisure of two afternoons and evenings 
could be devoted to religious and benevolent objects, such 
as religious meetings, charitable associations, school visiting, 
and attention to the sick and poor. The leisure of two oth- 
er days might be devoted to intellectual improvement and 
the pursuits of taste. The leisure of another day might be 
devoted to social enjoyments, in making or receiving visits; 
and that of another, to miscellaneous domestic pursuits, not 
included in the other particulars. 

It is probable that few persons could carry out such an 
arrangement very strictly ; but every one can make a sys- 
tematic apportionment of time, and at least aim at accom- 
plishing it ; and they can also compare with such a general 
outline the time which they actually devote to these differ- 
ent objects, for the purpose of modifying any mistaken pro- 
portions. 

Without attempting any such systematic employment of 
time, and carrying it out, so far as they can control circum- 
stances, most women are rather driven along by the daily 
occurrences of life ; so that, instead of being the intelligent 
regulators of their own time, they are the mere sport of cir- 
cumstances. There is nothing which so distinctly marks the 
difference between weak and strong minds as the question 
whether they control circumstances or circumstances control 
them. 

It is very much to be feared that the apportionment of 
time actually made by most women exactly inverts the or- 
der required by reason and Christianity. Thus the furnish- 
ing a needless variety of food, the conveniences of dwell- 



286 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEAL'fHKEEPEK. 

ings, and the adornments of dress, often take a larger por- 
tion of time than is given to any other object. Next after 
this comes intellectual improvement ; and last of all, benev- 
olence and religion. 

It may be urged that it is indispensable for most persons 
to give more time to earn a livelihood, and to prepare food, 
raiment, and dwellings, than to any other object. But it 
may be asked, how much of the time devoted to these ob- 
jects is employed in preparing varieties of food not necessa- 
ry, but rather injurious, and how much is spent for those 
parts of dress and furniture not indispensable, and merely 
ornamental? Let a woman subtract from her domestic em- 
ployments all the time given to pursuits which are of no use, 
except as they gratify a taste for ornament, or minister in- 
creased varieties to tempt the appetite, and she will find 
that mucli which she calls " domestic duty," and which pre- 
vents her attention to intellectual, benevolent, and religious 
objects, should be called by a very different name. 

ISTo woman has a right to give up attention to the higher 
interests of herself and others for the ornaments of person 
or the gratification of the palate. To a certain extent, these 
lower objects are lawful and desirable ; but when they in- 
trude on nobler interests, they become selfish and degrading. 
Every v>^oman, then, when employing her hands in orna- 
menting her person, her children, or her house, ought to cal- 
culate whether she has devoted as tmich time to the really 
more important wants of herself and others. If she has not, 
she may know that she is doing wrong, and that her system 
or apportioning her time and pursuits should be altered. 

Some persons endeavor to systematize their pursuits by 
apportioning them to particular hours of each day. For ex- 
ample, a certain period before breakfast is given to devo- 
tional duties; after breakfast, certain hours are devoted to 
exercise and domestic employments ; other hours, to sewing, 
or reading, or visiting ; and others, to benevolent duties. 
But in most cases it is more difficult to systematize the 
hours of each day than it is to secure some regular division 
of the week. 

In regard to the minutiae of famil}^ work, the writer has 



HABITS OF SYSTEM A2sD ORDER. 287 

known the following methods to be adopted. Monday, with 
some of the best housekeepers, is devoted to preparing for 
the labors of the week. Any extra cooking, the purchasing 
of articles to be used during the week, the assorting of 
clothes for the wash, and mending such as Avould otherwise 
be injured — these, and similar items, belong to this day. 
Tuesday is devoted to washing, and Wednesday to ironing. 
On Thursday, the ironing is finished off", the clothes are fold- 
ed and put away, and all articles which need mending are 
put in the mending-basket and attended to. Friday is de- 
voted to sweeping and house-cleaning. On Saturday, and 
especially the last Saturday of every month, every depart- 
ment is put in order; the casters and table furnitui-e are 
regulated, the pantry and cellar inspected, the trunks, draw- 
ers, and closets arranged, and every thing about the house 
put in order for Sunday. By this regular recurrence of a 
particular time for inspecting every thing, nothing is forgot- 
ten till ruined by neglect. 

Another mode of systematizing relates to providing prop- 
er supplies of conveniences, and proper places in which to 
keep them. Thus, some ladies keep a large closet, in which 
are placed the tubs, pails, dippers, soap -dishes, starch, blu- 
ing, clothes-lines, clothes-pins, and every other article used 
in washing; and in the same, or another place, is kept every 
convenience for ironing. In the sewing department, a trunk, 
with suitable partitions, i^ provided, in which are placed, 
each in its proper place, white thread of all sizes, colored 
thread, yarns for mending, colored and black sewing-silks 
and twist, tapes and bobbins of all sizes, whijte and colored 
welting-cords, silk braids and cords, needles of all sizes, pa- 
pers of pins, remnants of linen and colored cambric^ a supply 
of all kinds of buttons used in the family, black and white 
hooks and eyes, a yard-measure, and all the patterns used in 
cutting and fitting. These are done up in separate parcels, 
and labeled. In another trunk, or in a piece-bag, such as 
has been previously described, are kept all pieces used in 
mending, arranged in order. A trunk like the first men- 
tioned will save many steps, and often much time and per- 
plexity ; Avhile by purchasing articles thus bj^ the quantity, 



288 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

they come much cheaper than if bought in little portions as 
they are wanted. Such a trunk should be kept locked, and 
a smaller supply for current use retained in a work-basket. 

A full supply of all conveniences in the kitchen and cel- 
lar, and a place appointed for each article, very much facili- 
tate domestic labor. For want of this, much vexation and 
loss of time is occasioned while seeking vessels in use, or in 
cleansing those employed by different persons for various 
purposes. It would be far better for a lady to give up some 
expensive article in the parlor, and apply the money thus 
saved for kitchen conveniences, than to have a stinted sup- 
ply w^here the most labor is to be performed. If our coun- 
trywomen would devote more attention to comfort and con- 
venience, and less to show, it would be a great improvement. 
Expensive mirrors and pier-tables in the parlor, and an un- 
painted, gloomy, ill-furnished kitchen, not unfrequently are 
found under the same roof 

Another important item in systematic economy is, the ap- 
portioning of regular employment to the various members 
of a family. If a housekeeper can secure the co-operation 
of all her family, she will find that " many hands make light 
work." There is no greater mistake than in bringing up 
children to feel that they must be taken care of and waited 
on by others, without any corresponding obligations on their 
part. The extent to which young children can be made 
useful in a family would seem surprising to those w^ho have 
never seen a systematic and regular plan for utilizing their 
services. The wn-iter has been in a family where a little 
girl of eight or nine years of age washed and dressed her- 
self and young brother, and made their small beds, before 
breakfast ; set and cleared all the tables for meals, with a 
little help from a grown person in moving tables and spread- 
ing cloths; w^hile all the dusting of parlors and chambers 
was also neatly performed by her. A brother of ten years 
old brought in and piled all the wood used in the kitchen 
and parlor, brushed the boots and shoes, went on errands, 
and took all the care of the poultry. They were children 
w^hose parents could afford to hire servants to do this, but 
who chose to have their children grow up healthy and in- 



HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER. 289 

dustrioiis, while proper instruction, system, and encourage- 
ment, made these services rather a pleasure than otherwise 
to the children. 

Some parents pay their children for such services ; but 
this is hazardous, as tending to make them feel that they 
are not bound to be helpful without pay, and also as tend- 
ing to produce a hoarding, money -making spirit. But 
where children have no hoarding propensities, and need to 
acquire a sense of the value of property, it may be well to 
let them earn money for some extra services rather as a fa- 
vor. When this is done, they should be taught to spend it 
for others as well as for themselves; and in this way a 
generous and liberal spirit will be cultivated. 

There are some mothers who take pains to teach their 
boys most of the domestic arts which their sisters learn. 
The writer has seen boys mending their own garments, and 
aiding their mother or sisters in the kitchen, with great 
skill and adroitness ; and at an early age they usually very 
much relish joining in such occupations. The sons of such 
mothers, in their college life, or in roaming about the world, 
or in nursing a sick wife or infant, find occasion to bless the 
forethought and kindness which prepared them for such 
emergencies. Few things are in worse taste than for a man 
needlessly to busy himself in women's work ; and yet a man 
never appears in a more interesting attitude than when, by 
skill in such matters, he can save a mother or wife from care 
and suflfering. The more a boy is taught to use his hands 
in every variety of domestic employment, the more his fac- 
ulties, both of mind and body, are developed ; for mechan- 
ical pursuits exercise the intellect as w^ell as the hands. 
The early training of New-England boys, in which they 
turn their hand to almost every thing, is one great reason 
of the quick perceptions, versatility of mind, and mechan- 
ical skill, for which that portion of our countrymen is distin- 
guished. 

It is equally important that young girls should be taught 
to do some species of handicraft that generally is done by 
men, and especially with reference to the frequent emigra- 
tion to new territories where well- trained mechanics are 

13 



290 THE HOUSEKElfeiPEli AISTD HEALTHKEEPER. 

scarce. To hang wall-paper, repair locks-, glaze windows, 
and mend various household articles, require a skill in the 
use of tools which every young girl should acquire. If she 
never has any occasion to apply this knowledge and skill by 
her own hands, she will often find it needful in directing and 
superintending incompetent workmen. 

The writer has known one mode of systematizing the aid 
of the older children in a family, which, in some cases of 
very large families, it may be well to imitate. In the case 
referred to, when the oldest daughter was eight or nine 
years old, an infant sister was given to her as her special 
charge. She tended it, made and mended its clothes, taught 
it to read, and was its nurse and guardian through all its 
childhood. Another infant was given to the next daughter, 
and thus the children were all paired in this interesting re- 
lation. In addition to the relief thus afforded to the moth- 
er, the elder children were in this way qualified for their fu- 
ture domestic relations, and both older and younger bound 
to each other by peculiar ties of tenderness and gratitude. 

In offering these examples of various modes of systematiz- 
ing, one suggestion may be worthy of attention. It is not 
unfrequently the case that ladies who find themselves cum- 
bered with oppressive cares, after reading remarks on the 
benefits of system, immediately commence the task of ar- 
ranging their pursuits with great vigor and hope. They di- 
vide the day into regular periods, and give each hour its 
duty ; they systematize their work, and endeavor to bring 
every thing into a regular routine. " But in a short time 
they find themselves baffled, discouraged, and disheartened, 
and finally relapse into their former desultory ways, in a 
sort of resigned despair. 

The difficulty in such cases is, that they attempt too 
much at a time. There is nothing which so much depends 
npon hahit as a systematic mode of performing duty ; and 
where no such habit has been formed, it is impossible for a 
novice to start at once into a universal mode of system- 
atizing, which none but an adept could carry through. The 
only way for such persons is to begin with a little at a time. 
Let them select some three or four things, and resolutely at- 



HABITS OF SYSTEM AND ORDER. 291 

tempt to conquer at these points. In time, a habit will be 
formed of doing a few things at regular periods, and in a 
systematic way. Then it will be easy to add a few more ; 
and thus, by a gradual process, the object can be secured, 
which would be vain to attempt by a more summary course. 

Early rising is almost an indispensable condition to suc- 
cess in such an effort ; but where a woman lacks either the 
health or the energy to secure a period for devotional duties 
before breakfast, let her select that hour of the day in which 
she will be least liable to interruption, and let her then seek 
strength and wisdom from the only true Source. At this 
time let her take a pen, and make a list of all the things 
which she considers as duties. Then let a calculation be 
made whether there be time enough, in the day or the week, 
for all these duties. If there be not, let the least important 
be stricken from the list, as not being duties, and therefore 
to be omitted. In doing this, let a woman remember that, 
though " what we shall eat, and what w6 shall drink, and 
wherewithal we shall be clothed," are matters requiring due 
attention, they are very apt to obtain a wrong relative im- 
portance, while intellectual, social, and moral interests re- 
ceive too little regard. 

In this country, eating, dressing, and household furniture 
and ornaments, take far too large a place in the estimate of 
relative importance; and it is probable that most women 
could modify their views and practice so as to come nearer 
to the Saviour's requirements. No woman has a right to 
put a stitch of ornament on any article of dress or furniture, 
or to provide one superfluity in food, until she is sure she 
can secure time for all her social, intellectual, benevolent, 
and religious duties. If a woman will take the trouble to 
make such a calculation as this, she will usually find that 
she has time enough to perform all her duties easily and 
well. 

It is impossible for a conscientious woman to secure that 
peaceful mind and cheerful enjoyment of life which all 
-should seek, who is constantly finding her duties jarring 
with each other, and much remaining undone which she 
feels that she ought to do. In consequence of this, there 



292 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

will be a secret uneasiness which will throw a shade over 
the whole current of life, never to be removed till she so 
efficiently defines and regulates her duties that she can ful- 
fill them all. 

And here the writer would urge upon young ladies the 
importance of forming habits of system while unembarrassed 
with those multiplied cares which will make the task so 
much more difficult and hopeless. Every young lady can 
systematize her pursuits, to a certain extent. She can have 
a particular day for mending her wardrobe, and for arran- 
ging her trunks, closets, and drawers. She can keep her 
work-basket, her desk at school, and all her other conven- 
iences, in their proper places and in regular order. She can 
have regular periods for reading, walking, visiting, study, 
and domestic pursuits. And by following this method in 
youth, she will form a taste for regularity and a habit of 
system which will prove a blessing to her through life. 



HEALTH OF MIND. 293 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HEALTH OF MIND. 

Theke is such an intimate connection between the body 
and mind, that the health of one can not be preserved with- 
out a proper care of the other. And it is from a neglect of 
this principle that some of the most exemplary and consci- 
entious persons in the world suffer a thousand mental ago- 
nies from a diseased state of body, while others ruin the 
health of the body by neglecting the proper care of the 
mind. 

When the mind is excited by earnest intellectual effort, or 
by strong passions, the blood rushes to the head and the 
brain is excited. Sir Astley Cooper records that, in exam- 
ining the brain of a young man who had lost a portion of 
his skull, whenever " he was agitated by some opposition to 
his wishes," " the blood was sent with increased force to his 
brain," and the pulsations " became frequent and violent." 
The same effect was produced by any intellectual effort ; 
and the flushed countenance which attends earnest study or 
strong emotions of interest of any kind, is an external indi- 
cation of the suffused state of the brain from such causes. 

In exhibiting the causes which injure the health of the 
mind, we shall find them to be partly physical, partly intel- 
lectual, and partly moral. 

The first cause of mental disease and suffering: is not un- 
frequently in the want of a proper supply of duly oxygen- 
ized blood. It has been shown that the blood, in passing 
through the lungs, is purified by the oxygen of the air com- 
bining with the superabundant hydrogen and carbon of the 
venous blood, thus forming carbonic acid and water, which 
are expired into the atmosphere. Every pair of lungs is 
constantly withdrawing from the surrounding atmosphere 
its healthful principle, and returning one which is injurious 
to human life. 



294 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 

When, by confinement and this process, the air is deprived 
of its appropriate supply of oxygen, the purification of tlie 
blood is interrupted, and it passes, without being properly 
prepared, into the brain, producing languor, restlessness, and 
inability to exercise the intellect and feelings. Whenever, 
therefore, persons sleep in a close apartment, or remain for a 
length of time in a crowded or ill-ventilated room, a most 
pernicious influence is exerted on the brain, and, through 
this, on the mind. A person who is often exposed to such 
influences can never enjoy that elasticity and vigor of mind 
which is one of the chief indications of its health. This is 
the reason why all rooms for religious meetings, and all 
school-rooms and sleeping apartments, should be so contrived 
as to secure a constant supply of fresh air from without. 
The minister who preaches in a crowded and ill-ventilated 
apartment loses much of his power to feel and to speak, 
while the audience are equally reduced in their capability of 
attending. The teacher who confines children in a close 
apartment diminishes their ability to study, or to attend to 
instructions. And the person who habitually sleeps in a 
close room impairs mental energy in a similar degree. It is 
not unfrequently the case that depression of spirits and stu- 
por of intellect are occasioned solely by inattention to this 
subject. 

Another cause of mental disease is the excessive exercise 
of the intellect or feelings. If the eye is taxed beyond its 
strength by protracted use, its blood-vessels become gorged, 
and the bloodshot appearance warns of the excess and the 
need of rest. The brain is afiected in a similar manner by 
excessive use, though the suffering and inflamed organ can 
not make its appeal to the eye. But there are some indica- 
tions which ought never to be misunderstood or disregard- 
ed. In cases of pupils at school or at college, a diseased 
state, from over - action, is often manifested by increased 
clearness of mind, and temporary ease and vigor of mental 
action. In one instance, known to the writer, a most exem- 
plary and industrious pupil, anxious to improve every hour, 
and ignorant or unmindful of the laws of health, first mani- 
fested the diseased state of her brain and mind by demands 



HEALTH OF MIND. 295 

for more studies, and a sudden and earnest activity in plan- 
ning modes of improvement for herself and others. When 
warned of her danger, she protested that she never was bet- 
ter in her life ; that she took regular exercise in the open air, 
went to bed in season, slept soundly, and felt perfectly well ; 
that her mind was never before so bright and clear, and 
study never so easy and delightful. And at this time she 
was on the verge of derangement, from which she was saved 
only by an entire cessation of all intellectual efforts. 

A similar case occurred, under the eye of the w^riter, from 
overexcited feelings. It w^as during a time of unusual re- 
ligious interest in the community, and the mental disease 
was first manifested by the pupil bringing her hymn-book 
or Bible to the class-room, and making it her constant re- 
sort in every interval of school duty. It finally became im- 
possible to convince her that it w^as her duty to attend to 
any thing else; her conscience became morbidly sensitive, 
her perceptions indistinct, her deductions unreasonable; and 
nothing but entire change of scene and exercise, and occu- 
pation of her mind by amusement, saved her. When the 
health of the brain was restored, she found that she could 
attend to the " one thing needful," not only without inter- 
ruption of duty or injury to health, but rather so as to pro- 
mote both. Clergymen and teachers need most carefully to 
notice and guard against the dangers here alluded to. 

Any such attention to religion as prevents the perform- 
ance of daily duties and needful relaxation is dangerous, and 
tends to produce such a state of the brain as makes it im- 
possible to feel or judge correctly. And when any morbid 
and unreasonable pertinacity appears, much exercise and 
engagement in other interesting pursuits should be urged, 
as the only mode of securing the religious benefits aimed at. 
And whenever any mind is oppressed with care, anxiety, or 
sorrow, the amount of active exercise in the fresh air should 
be greatly increased, that the action of the muscles may 
withdraw the blood which, in such seasons, is constantly 
tending too much to the brain. At the same time, innocent 
and healthful amusement should,be urged as a duty. 

There has been a most appalling amount of suffering, de- 



296 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

rangement, disease, and death, occasioned by a want of at- 
tention to this subject, in teachers and parents. Uncommon 
precocity in children is usually the result of an unhealthy 
state of the brain ; and in such cases medical men would 
liow direct that the wonderful child should be deprived of 
all books and study, and turned to play out in the fresh air. 
Instead of this, parents frequently add fuel to the fever of 
the brain, by supplying constant mental stimulus, until the 
victim finds refuge in idiocy or an early grave. Where such 
fatal results do not occur, the brain in many cases is so 
weakened that the prodigy of infancy sinks below the medi- 
um of intellectual powers in after-life. 

In our colleges, too, many of the most promising minds 
sink to an early grave, or drag out a miserable existence, 
from this same cause. And it is an evil as yet little allevi- 
ated by the increase of physiological knowledge. Every 
college and professional school, and every seminary for 
young ladies, needs a medical man or woman, not only to 
lecture on physiology and the laws of health, but empowered 
by official capacity to investigate the case of every pupil, 
and, by authority, to enforce such a course of study, exercise, 
and repose as the physical system requires. The writer has 
found by experience that in a large institution there is one 
class of pupils who need to be restrained by penalties from 
late hours and excessive study, as much as another class 
need stimulus to industry. 

Under the head of excessive mental action must be placed 
the indulgence of the imagination in novel-reading and 
" castle-building." This kind of stimulus, unless counter- 
balanced by physical exercise, not only wastes time and en- 
ergies, but undermines the vigor of the nervous system. 
The imagination was designed by our wise Creator as a 
charm and stimulus to animate to benevolent activity, and 
its perverted exercise seldom fails to bring a penalty. 

Another cause of mental disease is the want of the appro- 
priate exercise of the various faculties of the mind. On this 
point Dr. Combe remarks : " We have seen that, by disuse, 
muscles become emaciated, bone softens, blood-vessels are 
obliterated, and nerves lose their characteristic structure. 



HEALTH OF MIND. 297 

The brain is no exception to this general rule. The tone of 
it is also impaired by permanent inactivity, and it becomes 
less fit to manifest the mental powers with readiness and 
energy." It is "the withdrawal of the stimulus necessary 
for its healthy exercise which renders solitary confinement 
so severe a punishment, even to the most daring minds. It 
is a lower degree of the same cause which renders continu- 
ous seclusion from society so injurious to both mental and 
bodily health." 

" Inactivity of intellect and of feeling is a very frequent 
predisposing cause of every form of nervous disease. For 
demonstrative evidence of this position, we have only to look 
at the numerous victims to be found among persons who 
have no call to exertion in gaining the means of subsistence, 
and no objects of interest on which to exercise their mental 
faculties, and who consequently sink into a state of mental 
sloth and nervous weakness." "If we look abroad upon so- 
ciety, we shall find innumerable examples of mental and 
nervous debility from this cause. When a person of some 
mental capacity is confined for a long time to an unvarying 
round of employment which afibrds neither scope nor stim- 
ulus for one half of the faculties, and, from want of educa- 
tion or society, has no external resources ; the mental pow- 
ers, for want of exercise, become blunted, and the perceptions 
slow and dull." "The intellect and feelings, not being pro- 
vided with interests external to themselves, must either be- 
come inactive and weak, or work upon themselves and be- 
come diseased." 

" The most frequent victims of this kind of predisposition 
are females of the middle and higher ranks, especially those 
of a nervous constitution and good natural abilities; but 
who, from an ill-directed education, possess nothing more 
solid than mere accomplishments, and have no materials for 
thought," and no " occupation to excite interest or demand 
attention." " The liability of such persons to melancholy, 
hysteria, hypochondriasis, and other varieties of mental dis- 
tress, really depends on a state of irritability of the brain, in- 
duced by its imperfect exercise." 

These remarks of a medical man illustrate the principles 

13* 



298 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

before indicated — namely, that the demand of Christianity, 
that we live to save from eternal evils and promote the 
highest and eternal happiness of our race, has for its aim 
not only the general good, but the highest happiness of the 
individual in offering abundant exercise for all the noblest 
faculties. 

A person possessed of wealth, who has nothing more no- 
ble to engage attention than seeking personal enjoyment, 
subjects the mental powers and moral feelings to a degree 
of inactivity utterly at war with health and mind. And the 
greater the capacities, the greater are the sufferings which 
result from this cause. Any one who has read the misan- 
thropic wailings of Lord Byron has seen the necessary result 
of great and noble powers bereft of their appropriate exer- 
cise, and, in consequence, becoming sources of the keenest 
suffering. 

It is this view of the subject which has often awakened 
feelings of sorrow and anxiety in the mind of the writer, 
while aiding in the development and education of superior 
feminine minds in the wealthier circles. Not because there 
are not noble objects for interest and effort abundant, and 
within reach of such minds, but because long-established 
custom has made it seem so quixotic to the majority, even 
of the professed followers of Christ, for a woman of wealth 
to practice any great self-denial, that few have independence 
of mind and Christian principle sufficient to overcome such 
an influence. The more a mind has its powers developed, 
the more does it aspire and pine after some object worthy 
of its energies and affections ; and they are commonplace 
and phlegmatic characters who are most free from such 
deep-seated wants. Many a young woman, of fine genius 
and elevated sentiment, finds a charm in Lord Byron's writ- 
ings, because they present a glowing picture of what, to a 
certain extent, must be felt by every well-developed mind 
which has no nobler object in life than the pursuit of self- 
gratification. 

If young ladies of wealth could pursue their education 
under the full conviction that the increase of their powers 
and advantages increased their obligations to use all for the 



HEALTH OF MIND. 299 

great and sublime end for which our Saviour toiled and 
suffered, and with some plan of benevolent enterprise in 
view, what new motives of interest would be added to their 
daily pursuits ! And what blessed results would follow to 
our beloved country if all well-educated women carried out 
the principles of Christianity in the exercise of their devel- 
oped powers ! 

The benevolent activities called forth in our late dreadful 
war illustrate the blessed influence on character and happi- 
ness in having a noble object for which to labor and suffer. 
In illustration of this may be mentioned the experience of 
one of the noble women who, in a sickly climate and fervid 
season, devoted herself to the ministries of a military hospi- 
tal. Separated from an adored husband, deprived of wonted 
comforts and luxuries, and toiling in humble and unwonted 
labors, she yet recalls this as one of the happiest periods of 
her life. And it was not the mere exercise of benevolence 
and piety in ministering comfort and relieving suffering. 
It was, still more, the elevated enjoyment which only an 
enlarged and cultivated mind can attain, in the inspirations 
of grand and far-reaching results purchased by such sacrifice 
and suffering. It was in aiding to save her well-loved coun- 
try from impending ruin, and to preserve to coming genera- 
tions the blessings of true liberty, self-government, and the 
Christian life by which toils and suffering became triumphant 
joys. 

Every Christian woman who " walks by faith and not by 
sight," who looks forward to the results of self-sacrificing 
labor for the ignorant and sinful as they w411 enlarge and 
expand through everlasting ages, may rise to the same ele- 
vated sphere of experience and happiness. 

On the contrary, the more highly cultivated the mind 
devoted to mere selfish enjoyment, the more are the sources 
of true happiness closed, and the soul left to helpless empti- 
ness and unrest. 

The indications of a diseased mind, owing to the want 
of the proper exercise of its powers, are apathy, discontent, 
a restless longing for excitement, a craving for unattainable 
good, a diseased and morbid action of the imagination, dis- 



300 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

satisfaction with the world, and factitious interest in trifles 
which the mind feels to be unworthy of its powers. Such 
minds sometimes seek alleviation in exciting amusements; 
others resort to the grosser enjoyments of sense. Oppressed 
with the extremes of languor, or over-excitement, or apathy, 
the body fails under the wearing process, and adds new 
causes of suffering to the mind. Such the compassionate 
Saviour calls to his service, in the appropriate terms, " Come 
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," 
" and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 



CAKE OF THE AGED. 301 



CHAPTER XVII. 

CARE OF THE AGED. 

One of the most interesting and instructive illustrations 
of the design of our Creator, in the institution of the family 
state, is the preservation of the aged after their faculties de- 
cay and usefulness in ordinary modes seems to be ended. 
By most persons this period of infirmities and uselessness is 
anticipated with apprehension, especially in the case of 
those who have lived an active, useful life, giving largely 
of service to others, and dependent for most resources of 
enjoyment on their own energies. 

To lose the resources of sight or hearing, to become feeble 
in body, so as to depend on the ministries of others, and 
finally to gradually decay in mental force and intelligence, 
to many seems far worse than death. Multitudes have 
prayed to be taken from this life when their usefulness is 
thus ended. 

But a true view of the design of the family state, and of 
the ministry of the aged and helpless in carrying out this 
design, would greatly lessen such apprehensions, and might 
be made a source of pure and elevated enjoyment. 

The Christian virtues of patience with the unreasonable, 
of self-denying labor for the weak, and of sympathy with 
the afilicted, are dependent, to a great degree, on cultivation 
and habit, and these can be gained only in circumstances de- 
manding the daily exercise of these graces. In this aspect, 
continued life in the aged and infirm should be regarded as 
a blessing and privilege to a family, especially to the young, 
and the cultivation of the graces that are demanded by that 
relation should be made a definite and interesting part of 
their education. A few of the methods to be attempted for 
this end wuU be suggested. 

In the first place, the object for which the aged are pre- 
served in life, when in many cases they would rejoice to de- 



302 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

part, should be definitely kept in recollection, and a sense 
of gratitude and obligation be cultivated. They should be 
looked up to and treated as ministers sustained by our 
Heavenly Father in a painful experience, expressly for the 
o-ood of those around them. This appreciation of their min- 
istry and usefulness will greatly lessen their trials, and im- 
part consolation. If, in hours of weariness and infirmity, they 
wonder why they are kept in a useless and helpless state to 
burden others around, they should be assured that they are 
not useless ; and this not only by word, but, better still, by 
the manifestation of those virtues which such opportunities 
alone can secure. 

Another mode of cheering the aged is to engage them in 
the domestic games and sports which unite the old and the 
young in amusement. Many a weary hour may thus be en- 
livened for the benefit of all concerned. And here will often 
occur opportunities of self-denying benevolence in relinquish- 
ing personal pursuits and gratification thus to promote the 
enjoyment of the infirm and dependent. Reading aloud is 
often a great source of enjoyment to those who by age are 
de|Ti-ived of reading for themselves. So the eflTort to gather 
news of the neighborhood and impart it, is another mode of 
relieving those deprived of social gatherings. 

There is no period in life when those courtesies of good- 
breeding which recognize the relations of superior and infe- 
rior should be more carefully cherished than when there is 
need of showing them toward those of advancing age. To 
those w^ho have controlled a household, and still more to 
those who in public life have been honored and admired, 
the decay of mental powers is peculiarly trying, and every 
eflTort should be made to lessen the trial by courteous atten- 
tion to their opinions, and by avoiding all attempts to con- 
trovert them, or to make evident any weakness or fallacy in 
their conversation. 

In regard to the decay of bodily or mental faculties, much 
more can be done to prevent or retard them than is gen- 
erally supposed, and some methods for this end which have 
been gained by observation or experience will be presented. 

As the exercise of all our faculties tends to increase their 



CAEE OF THE AGED. 303 

power, unless it be carried to excess, it is very important 
that the aged should be provided with useful employment 
suited to their strength and capacity. Nothing hastens de- 
cay so fast as to remove the stimulus of useful activity. It 
should become a study with those who have the care of the 
aged to interest them in some useful pursuit, and to con- 
vince them that they are in some measure actively contrib- 
uting to the general welfare. In the country and in fami- 
lies where the larger part of the domestic labor is done 
without servants, it is very easy to keep up an interest in 
domestic industrial employments. The tending of a small 
garden in summer, the preparation of fuel and food, the 
mending of household utensils — these and many other occu- 
pations of the hands will keep alive activity and interest in 
a man ; v\'hile for women there are still more varied re- 
sources. There is nothing that so soon hastens decay and 
lends acerbity to age as giving up all business and respon- 
sibility, and every mode possible should be devised to pre- 
vent this result. 

As age advances, all the bodily functions move more 
slowly, and consequently the generation of animal heat, by 
the union of oxygen and carbon in the capillaries, is in 
smaller proportion than in the midday of life. For this rea- 
son some practices, safe for the vigorous, must be relin- 
quished by the aged ; and one of these is the use of the cold 
bath. It has often been the case that rheumatism has been 
caused by neglect of this caution. More than ordinary care 
should be taken to preserve animal heat in the aged, espe- 
cially in the hands and the feet. 

In many families will be found an aged brother, or sister, 
or other relative who has no home, and no claim to a refuge 
in the family circle but that of kindred. Sometimes they 
are poor and homeless,* for want of a faculty for self-support- 
ing business ; and sometimes they have peculiarities of per- 
son or disposition which render their society undesirable. 
These are cases where the pitying tenderness of the Saviour 
should be remembered, and for his sake patient kindness 
and tender care be given, and he will graciously accept it 
as an offering of love and duty to himself. "Inasmuch as 



304 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

ye have done it to the least of these my brethren, ye have 
done it to me." 

It is sometimes the case that even parents in old age have 
had occasion to say, with the forsaken King Lear, "How 
sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless 
child !" It is right training in early life alone that will 
save from this. 

In the opening of China and the probable influx of its 
people, there is one cause for congratulation to a nation that 
is failing in the virtue of reverence. The Chinese are dis- 
tinguished above all other nations for their respect for the 
aged, and especially for their reverence for aged parents and 
conformity to their authority, even to the last. This virtue 
is cultivated to a degree that is remarkable, and has pro- 
duced singular and favorable results on the national charac- 
ter, which it is hoped may be imparted to the land to which 
they are flocking in such multitudes. For with all their 
peculiarities of pagan philosophy and their Oriental eccen- 
tricities of custom and practical life, they are everywhere 
renowned for their uniform and elegant courtesy — a most 
commendable virtue, and one arising from habitual defer- 
ence to the aged more than from any other source. 

But every person, in approaching the trials and helpless- 
ness of age, needs to consider that the very performance of 
these duties toward one's self by all around may tend to in- 
duce a selfish and exacting spirit, or querulous complaints 
at forgetfulness or neglect. And constant service and pet- 
ting may tempt to self-indulgent uselessness. Approaching 
age sometimes leads to the relinquishment of active life; and 
this tends to induce imbecility of body and mind, which, like 
all instruments, are kept bright by use. The course of wis- 
dom is to redouble exertions in cultivating self-denying re- 
gard for the convenience and comfort of others, and perpetu- 
ating, as far as possible, useful labors. 

One of the most lovely and beautiful features in a family 
circle is the aged father or mother sympathizing in the joys 
and sorrows of the young, and watching for occasions to 
please and serve all around. 



THE CARE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 305 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE CARE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

One of the most interestinsr illustrations of the desisfn of 
our benevolent Creator in establishing the family state is 
the nature of the domestic animals connected with it. At 
the very dawn of life, the infant watches with delight the 
graceful gambols of the kitten, and soon makes it a play- 
mate. Meantime, its outcries when hurt appeal to kindly 
sympathy, and its sharp claws to fear; while the child's 
mother has a constant opportunity to inculcate kindness 
and care for weak and is^norant creatures. Then the dos; 
becomes the outdoor playmate and guardian of early child- 
hood, and he also guards himself by cries of pain, and pro- 
tects himself by his teeth. At the same time, his faithful 
loving nature and caresses awaken corresponding tender- 
ness and care ; while the parent, again, has a daily oppor- 
tunity to inculcate these virtues toward the helpless and de- 
pendent. As the child increases in knowledge and reason, 
the horse, cows, poultry, and other domestic animals come 
under his notice. These do not ordinarily express their 
hunger or other sufferings by cries of distress, but depend 
more on the developed reason and humanity of man. And 
here the parent is called upon to instruct a child in the na- 
ture and wants of each, that he may intelligently provide 
for their sustenance and for their protection from injury and 
disease. 

To assist in this important duty of home life, which so 
often falls to the supervision of woman, the following infor- 
mation is prepared through the kindness of one of the edit- 
ors of a prominent, widely known agricultural paper. 

Domestic animals are very apt to catch the spirit and 
temper of their masters. A surly man will be very likely 
to have a cross dog and a biting horse. A passionate man 
will keep all his animals in moral fear of him, making them 



306 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

snappish, and liable to hurt those of whom they are not 
afraid. 

It is, therefore, most important that all animals should be 
treated uniformly with kindness. They are all capable of 
returning affection, and will show it very pleasantly if we 
manifest affection for them. They also have intuitive per- 
ceptions of our emotions which we can not conceal. A sharp, 
ugly dog will rarely bite a person who has no fear of him. A 
horse knows, the moment a man mounts or takes the reins, 
whether he is afraid or not ; and so it is with other animals. 

If live stock can not be well fed, they ought not to be 
kept. One well-wintered horse is worth as much as two 
that drag through on straw, and by browsing the hedge- 
rows. The same is true of oxen, and emphatically so of 
cows. The owner of a half-starved dog loses the use of him 
almost altogether; for at the very time — the night — when 
he is most needed as a guard, he must be off scouring the 
country for food. 

Shelter in winter is most important for cows. They 
should have good tight stables or byres, well ventilated, 
and so warm that water in a pail will only freeze a little on 
the top the severest nights. Oxen should have the same 
stabling, though they bear cold better. Horses in stables 
will bear almost any degree of cold, if they have all they 
can eat. Sheep, except young lambs, are well enough shel- 
tered in dry sheds, with one end open. Cattle, sheep, and 
dogs do not sweat as horses do, they " loll ;" that is, water 
or slabber runs from their tongues ; hence they are not lia- 
ble to take cold as the horse is. Hogs bear cold pretty 
well ; but they eat enough to convince any one that true 
economy lies in giving them warm styes in winter, for the 
colder they are the more they eat. Fowls will not lay in 
cold weather unless they have light and warm quarters. 

Cleanliness is indispensable, if one would keep his animals 
healthy. In their wild state all our domestic animals are 
very clean, and, at the same time, very healthy. The hog is 
not naturally a dirty animal, but quite the reverse. He en- 
joys currying as much as a horse or cow, and would be as 
careful of his litter as a cat if he had a fair chance. 



THE CAEE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 307 

Horses ought to be groomed daily; cows and oxen as 
often as twice a week ; dogs should be "washed with soap- 
suds frequently. Stables should be cleaned out daily. Ab- 
sorbents of liquid in stables should be removed as often as 
they become wet. Dry earth is one of the best absorbents, 
and is especially useful in the fowl-house. Hogs in pens 
should have straw for their rests or lairs, and it should be 
often renewed. 

Parasitic Vermin. — These are lice, fleas, ticks, the scale 
insects, and other pests which afflict our live stock. There 
are many ^vays of destroying them ; the best and safest is a 
free use of carbolic acid soap. The larger animals, as well 
as hogs, dogs, and sheep, may be w^ashed in strong suds of 
this soap without fear, and the application repeated after a 
week. This generally destroys both the creatures and their 
eggs. Hen lice are best destroyed by greasing the fowls, 
and dusting them with flower of sulphur. Sitting hens must 
never be greased, but the sulphur may be dusted freely in 
their nests, and it is well to pat it in all hens' nests. 

Salt and Water. — All animals except poultry require salt, 
and all free supplies of fresh water. 

Light. — Stables, or places where any kind of animals are 
confined, should have plenty of light. Windows are not 
more important in a house than in a barn. The sun should 
come in freely ; and if it shines directly upon the stock, all 
the better. When beeves and sheep are fattening very rap- 
idly, the exclusion of the light makes them more quiet, and 
fatten faster ; but their state is an unnatural and hardly a 
healthy one. 

Exercise in the open air is important for breeding animals. 
It is especially necessary for horses of all kinds. Cows need 
very little, and swine none, unless kept for breeding. 

Breeding. — Always use thorough-bred males, and im- 
provement is Q^rtain. 

Horses. — The care which horses require varies with the 
circumstances in which the owner is placed, and the uses to 
w^hich they are put. In general, if kept stabled, they should 
be fed with good upland hay, almost as much as they will 
eat ; and if absent from the stable, and at work most of the 



308 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

day, they should have all they will eat of hay, together with 
four to eight quarts of oats or an equal weight of other 
grain or meal. Barley is good for horses, and so is dry 
corn. Corn-meal put upon cut hay, wet and well mixed, is 
good, steady feed, if not in too large quantities. Four 
quarts a day may be fed unmixed with other grain ; but if 
the horse be hard worked and needs more, mix the meal 
with wheat bran, or linseed-oil-cake meal, or use corn and 
oats ground together ; carrots are especially wholesome. A 
quart of linseed-oil-cake meal, daily, is an excellent occa- 
sional addition to a horse's feed, when carrots can not be 
had. It gives lustre to his coat, and brings the new coat of 
haircut in the spring. A stabled horse needs daily exer- 
cise, as much as to trot three miles. Where a horse is trav- 
eling, it is well to give him six quarts of oats in the morn- 
inof, four at noon, and six at nisjht. 

Thorough grooming is indispensable to the health of 
horses. Especial care should be taken of the legs and fet- 
locks, that no dirt remain to. cause that distressing disease, 
grease or scratches, which results from filthy fetlocks and 
standing in dirty stables. When a horse comes in from 
work on muddy roads with dirty legs, they should be im- 
mediately cleaned, the dirt brushed off, then rubbed with 
straw ; then, if very dirty, washed clean and rubbed dry 
with a piece of sacking. A horse should never stand in a 
draught of cold air, if he can not turn and put his back to it. 
If sweaty or warm from work, he should be blanketed, if he 
is to stand a minute in the winter air. If put at once into 
the stable, he should be stripped and rubbed down with 
straw actively for five minutes or more, and then blanketed. 
The blanket must be removed in an hour, and the horse 
given water and feed, if it is the usual time. It will not 
hurt him to eat hay when hot, unless he be thoroughly ex- 
hausted, when all food should be withheld foif a while. 

It is very comforting to a tired horse, when he is too hot 
to drink, to sponge out his mouth with cool water. A horse 
should never drink when very hot, nor be turned into a yard 
to "cool off," even in summer, neither should he be turned 
out to pasture before he is quite cool. 



THE CARE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 309 

Cows. — Gentle but firm treatment will make a cow easy 
to milk and to handle in every way. If stabled or yarded, 
cows should have access to water at all times, or have it fre- 
quently offered to them. Clover hay is probably the best 
steady food for milch cows. Cornstalks cut up, thoroughly 
soaked with water for half a day, and then sprinkled with 
corn or oil-cake meal, is perhaps unsurpassed as good winter 
food for milch cows. The amount of meal may vary. With 
plenty of oil-meal, there is little danger of feeding too much, 
as that is loosening to the bowels, and a safe, nutritious ar- 
ticle. Corn-meal alone, in large quantities, is too heating. 
Roots should, if possible, form part of the diet of a milch 
cow, especially before and soon after calving ; feed well be- 
fore this period, yet not to make the cow very fat ; but it is 
better to err in that way than to have her " come in " thin. 
Take the calf away from the mother as soon as it stands up, 
and the separation will worry neither dam nor young. This 
is always best, unless the calf is to be kept with the cow. 
The calf will soon learn to drink its food,- if two fingers be 
held in its mouth. Let it have all the first drawn milk for 
three days as soon as milked; after this, skimmed milk 
warmed to blood heat. Soon a little fine scalded meal may 
be mixed with the milk; and it will,. at three to five weeks 
old, nibble hay and grass. It is well, also, to keep a box 
containing some dry wheat-bran and fine corn-meal mixed 
in the calf-pen, so that calves may take as much as they 
like. 

In milking, put the fingers around the teat close to the 
bag ; then firmly close the forefingers of each hand alter- 
nately, immediately squeezing with the other fingers. The 
forefingers prevent the milk flowing back into the bag, while 
the others press it out. Sit with the left knee close to the 
right hind leg of the cow, the head pressed against her flank, 
the left hand always ready to ward off a blow from her feet, 
which the gentlest cow may give almost without knowing 
it, if her tender teats be cut by long nails, or if a wart be 
hurt, or her bag be tender. She must be stripped dry every 
time she is milked, or she will dry up ; and if she gives much 
milk, it pays to milk three times a day, as nearly eight hours 



310 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

apart as possible. Never stop while milking till done, as 
this will cause the cow to stop giving milk. 

To tether a cow, tie her by one hind leg, making the rope 
fast above the fetlock joint, and protecting the limb with 
a piece of an old boot-leg or similar thing. The knot must 
be one that will not slip ; regular fetters of iron bound with 
leather are much better. 

A cow should go unmilked two months before calving, 
and her milk should not be used by the family till four days 
after that time. 

Swine. — The filthy state of hog-pens is allowed on account 
of the amount of manure they will make by working over 
all sorts of vegetable matter, spoiled hay, weeds, etc., etc. 
This is unhealthy for the family near and also for the ani- 
mal. The hog is, naturally, a cleanly animal, and if given a 
chance he will keep himself very neat and clean. Breeding 
sows should have the range of a small pasture, and be regu- 
larly fed. They need fresh water constantly, and often suf- 
fer for lack of it when they have liquid swill which they do 
not like to drink. All hogs should have a warm, dry, well- 
littered pen to lie in, away from flies and disturbance of 
any kind. They are fond of charcoal, and it is worth while 
frequently to throw a. few handfuls where they can get at 
it. It has a very beneficial effect on the appetite, regulates 
the tone of the stomach and digestive organs, and can not 
do any harm. Pigs ought always to be well fed and kept 
growing fast ; and when being fattened, they should be pen- 
ned always, the herd being sorted so that all may have an 
equal chance. It is well to feed soft corn in the ear; but 
hard corn should always be ground and cooked for pigs. 

Sheep. — In the winter, sheep need deep, well-littered, dry 
sheds, dry yards, and hay, wheat, or oat straw, as much as 
they will eat. They should be kept gaining by grain regu- 
larly fed to them, and so distributed that each gets its share. 
Corn, either whole or ground, or oil-cake meal, or both, are 
used for fattening sheep. They will easily surfeit them- 
selves on any grain except oil-meal, which is very safe feed 
for them, and usually economical. Strong sheep will often 
drive the w^eaker ones away, and so get more than their 



THE CARE OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 311 

share of food, and make themselves sick. This must be 
guarded against, and the flock sorted, keeping the weaker 
and stronger apart. 

Sheep are very useful in clearing land of brush and certain 
weeds, which they gnaw down and kill. To accomplish 
this, the land must be overstocked, and it is best not to keep 
sheep on short pasturage more than a few weeks at a time ; 
but if they are returned after a few days, it will serve as 
good a purpose as if they were to be kept on all the time. 
Sheep at pasture must be restrained by good fences, or they 
will be a great nuisance. Dog-proof hedge fences of Osage 
orange are to be highly recommended, wherever this plant 
will grow. Mutton sheep will generally pay better to raise 
than merinos, but they need more care. 

Poultry. — Few objects of labor are more remunerative 
than poultry, raised on a moderate scale. Turkeys^ when 
young, need great care ; some animal food, dry, warm quar- 
ters, and must be kept out of the wet grass, and kept in 
when it rains. As soon as fledged they become very hardy, 
and, with free range, will almost take care of themselves. 
Geese need water and good grass pasture. Ducks do very 
well without w^ater to swim in, if they have all they need to 
drink. They will lay a great many eggs if kept shut in a 
pen until say eight o'clock in the morning. If let out earlier, 
they wander away, and will hide their nests, and lay only 
about as many eggs as they can cover. It is best to set 
ducks' eggs under hens, and to keep young ducks shut up in 
a dry roomy pen for four weeks, at least. Fowls need light, 
warm, dry quarters in winter, plenty of feed, but not too 
much. They relish animal food, and ought to have some 
frequently to make them lay. Pork or beef scrap-cake can 
be bought for two to three cents a pound, and is very good 
for them. Any kind of grain is good for poultry. Nothing 
is better than wheat screenings. Early-hatched chickens 
must be kept in a warm, dry, sunny room, w^ith plenty of 
gravel, and the hen should have no more than eight or nine 
chickens to brood ; though in summer one hen will take 
good care of fifteen. Little chickens, turkeys, and ducks 
need frequent feeding, and must have their water changed 



312 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

often. It is well to grease the body of the^ hen and the 
heads of the chicks with lard,. in order to prevent their be- 
coming lousy. 

Hens set about twenty days, and should be well fed and 
watered. Cold or damp weather is bad for young fowls, 
and when they have been chilled, pepper-corns are a good 
remedy, in addition to the warmth of an inclosed dry place. 

The most absorbing part of the " Woman's question " of 
the present time is the remedy for the varied sufferings of 
women who are widows or unmarried, and without means 
of support. As yet, few are aware how many sources of 
lucrative enterprise and industry lie open to woman in the 
employments directly connected with the family state. A 
woman can invest capital in the dairy and qualify herself to 
superintend a dairy farm as well as a man. And if she has 
no capital of her own, if well trained for this business, she 
can find those who have capital ready to furnish — an invest- 
ment that, well managed, will become profitable. And, too, 
the raising of poultry, of hogs, and of sheep are all within 
the reach of a woman with proper abilities and training for 
this business. So that, if a woman chooses, she can find em- 
ployment both interesting and profitable in studying the 
care of domestic animals. 

Sees. — But one of the most profitable as well as interest- 
ing kinds of business for a woman is the care of bees. In a 
recent agricultural report it is stated that one lady bought 
four hives for ten dollars, and in five years she was offered 
one thousand five hundred dollars for her stock, and refused 
it as not enough. In addition to this increase of her capital, 
in one of these five years she sold twenty-two hives and four 
hundred and twenty pounds of honey. It is also stated that 
in five years one man, from six colonies of bees to start with, 
cleared eight thousand pounds of honey and one hundred 
and fifty-four colonies of bees. 

It is hoped a time is at hand when every woman will be 
trained to some employment by which she can secure to her- 
self an independent home and means to support a family, in 
case she does not marry, or is left a widow, with herself and 
a family to maintain. 



CAEE OF THE SICK. 313 



CHAPTER XIX. 

CARE OF THE SICK. 

It is interesting to notice in the histories of our Lord the 
prominent place given to the care of the sick. When he 
first sent out the apostles, it was to heal the sick as well as 
to preach. Again, when he sent out the seventy, their first 
command was to " heal the sick," and next to say, " the 
kingdom of God has come nigh unto you." The body was 
to be healed first, in order to attend to the kingdom of God, 
even when it was " brought nigh." 

Jesus Christ spent more time and labor in the cure of 
men's bodies than in preaching, even if we subtract those 
labors with his earthly father by which family homes were 
provided. . When he ascended to the heavens, his last re- 
corded words to his followers, as given by Mark, were, that 
his disciples should " lay hands on the sick," that they 
might recover. Still more directly is the duty of care for 
the sick exhibited in the solemn allegorical description of 
the last day. It was those who visited the sick that were 
the blessed; it was those who did not visit the sick who 
were told to' "depart." Thus are we abundantly taught 
that one of the most sacred duties of the Christian family is 
the training of its inmates to care and kind attention to the 
sick. 

Every woman who has the care of young children, or of a 
large family, is frequently called upon to advise what shall 
be done for some one who is indisposed, and often in cir- 
cumstances where she must trust solely to her own judg- 
ment. In such cases, some err by neglecting to do any thing 
at all till the patient is quite sick ; but a still greater num- 
ber err from excessive and injurious dosing. 

The two great causes of the ordinary slight attacks of ill- 
ness in a family are, sudden chills, which close the pores of 
the skin, and thus affect the throat, lungs, or bowels ; and 

14 



314 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

the excessive or improper use of food. In most cases of ill- 
ness from the first cause, bathing the feet, retiring to a warm 
bed, and some hot aperient drink to induce perspiration, are 
suitable remedies. 

In case of illness from improper food, or excess in eating, 
fasting for one or two meals, to give the system time and 
chance to relieve itself, is the safest remedy. Sometimes a 
gentle cathartic of castor-oil may be needful ; but it is best 
first to try fasting. A safe relief from injurious articles in 
the stomach is an emetic of warm water ; but to be efiective, 
several tumblerfuls must be given in quick succession, and 
till the stomach can receive no more. 

The following extract from a discourse of Dr. Burne, be- 
fore the London Medical Society, contains important infor- 
mation : " In civilized life, the causes which are most gen- 
erally and continually operating in the production of dis- 
eases are, affections of the mind, improper diet, and reten- 
tion of the intestinal excretions. The undue retention of ex- 
crementitious matter allows of the absorption of its more 
liquid parts, which is a cause of great impurity to the blood, 
and the excretions, thus rendered hard and knotty, act more 
or less as extraneous substances, and, by their irritation, 
produce a determination of blood to the intestines and to 
the neighboring viscera, which ultimately ends in inflamma- 
tion. It also has a great effect on the whole system ; causes 
a determination of blood to the head, which oppresses the 
brain and dejects the mind ; deranges the functions of the 
stomach ; causes flatulency ; and produces a general state 
of discomfort." 

Dr. Combe remarks on this subject : " In the natural and 
healthy state, under a proper system of diet, and with suT- 
ficient exercise, the bowels are relieved regularly once ev- 
ery day." Habit " is powerful in modifying the result, and 
in sustaining healthy action when once fairly established. 
Hence the obvious advantage of observing as much regulari- 
ty in relieving the system, as in taking our meals." It is 
often the case that soliciting nature at^a regular period, 
once a day, will remedy constipation without medicine, and 
induce a regular and healthy state of the bowels. " When, 



CAKE OF THE SICK. 315 

however, as most frequently happens, the constipation arises 
from the absence of all assistance from the abdominal and 
respiratory muscles, the first step to be taken is, again to 
solicit their aid ; first, by removing all impediments to free 
respiration, such as stays, waistbands, and belts ; secondly, 
by resorting to such active exercise as shall call the muscles 
into full and regular action ;* and lastly, by proportioning 
the quantity of food to the wants of the system, and the 
condition of the digestive organs. 

"If we employ these means systematically and persever- 
ingly, we shall rarely fail in at last restoring the healthy 
action of the bowels, with little aid from medicine. But if 
we neglect these modes, we may go on for years, adding pill 
to pill, and dose to dose, without ever attaining the end at 
which we aim. 

" There is no point in which a woman needs more knowl- 
edge and discretion than in administering remedies for what 
seem slight attacks, which are not supposed to require the 
attention of a physician. It is little realized that purgative 
drugs are unnatural modes of stimulating the internal or- 
gans, tending to exhaust them of their secretions, and to 
debilitate and disturb the animal economy. For this reason, 
they should be used as little as possible ; and fasting, and 
perspiration, and the other methods pointed out, should al- 
ways be first resorted to." 

When medicine must be given, it should be borne in mind 
that there are various classes of purgatives, which produce 
very diverse effects. Some, like salts, operate to thin the 

* The most effective mode of exercising the abdominal and respiratory- 
muscles, in order to remedy constipation, is by a continuous alternate con- 
traction of the muscles of the abdomen and diaphragm. By contracting the 
muscles of the abdomen, the intestines are pressed inward and upward, and 
then the muscles of the diaphragm above contract and press them downward 
and outward. Thus the blood is drawn to the torpid parts to stimulate to 
the healthful action, while the agitation moves their contents downward. 
An invalid can thus exercise the abdominal muscles in bed. The proper 
time is just after a meal. This exercise, continued ten minutes a day, in- 
cluding short intervals of rest, and persevered in for a week or two, will 
cure most ordinary cases of constipation,* provided proper food is taken. 
Coarse bread and fruit are needed for this purpose in most cases. 



316 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

blood, and reduce the system ; others are stimulating ; and 
others have a peculiar operation on certain organs. Of 
course, great discrimination and knowledge are needed, in 
order to select the kind which is suitable to the particular 
disease, or to the particular constitution of the invalid. 
This shows the folly of using the many kinds of pills, and 
other quack medicines, where no knowledge can be had of 
their composition. Pills which are good for one kind of dis- 
ease might operate as poison in another state of the system. 

It is very common in cases of colds, which affect the lungs 
or throat, to continue to try one dose after another for relief. 
It will be well to bear in mind at such times, that all which 
goes into the stomach must be first absorbed into the blood 
before it can reach the diseased part ; and that there is some 
danger of injuring the stomach, or other parts of the system, 
by such a variety of doses, many of which, it is probable, 
w411 be directly contradictory in their nature, and thus neu- 
tralize any supposed benefit they might separately impart. 

When a cold affects the head and eyes, and also impedes 
breathing through the nose, great relief is gained by a wet 
napkin spread over the upper part of the face, covering the 
nose except an opening for breath. This is to be covered 
by folds of flannel fastened over the napkin with a handker- 
chief So also a wet towel over the throat and whole chest, 
covered with folds of flannel, often relieves oppressed lungs. 

Ordinarily, a cold can be arrested on its first symptoms by 
coverings in bed and a bottle of hot water, securing free 
perspiration. Often, at its first appearance, it can be stop- 
ped by a spoonful or two of hot whisky, or any alcoholic 
liquor, in hot water, taken on going to bed. Warm cover- 
ing to induce perspiration wdll assist the process. These 
simple remedies are safest. Perspiration should always be 
followed by a towel-bath of cool water in a warm room or 
by a fire. 

It is very unwise to tempt the appetite of a person who is 
indisposed. The cessation of appetite is the warning of na- 
ture that the system is in such a state that food can not be 
easily digested. When faod is to be given to one who has 
no desire for it, beef-tea is the best in most cases. 



CAKE OF THE SICK. 3 1*7 

The following suggestions may be found useful in regard 
to nursing the sick : As nothing contributes more to the 
restoration of health than pure air, it should be a primary- 
object to keep a sick-room well ventilated. At least twice 
in the twenty-four hours, the patient should be well covered, 
and fresh air freely admitted from out-of-doors. After this, 
if need be, the room should be restored to a proper temper- 
ature by the aid of an open fire. Bedding and clothing 
should also be well aired, and frequently changed, as the 
exhalations from the body, in sickness, are peculiarly delete- 
rious. Frequent ablutions of the whole body, if possible, 
are very useful ; and for these warm water may be employed, 
when cold water is disagreeable, 

A sick-room should always be kept very neat and in per- 
fect order ; and all haste, noise, and bustle should be avoid- 
ed. In order to secure neatness, order, and quiet, in case of 
long illness, the following arrangements should be made : 
Keep a large box for fuel, which will need to be filled only 
twice in twenty-four hours. Provide also and keep in the 
room or an adjacent closet, a small tea-kettle, a saucepan, a 
pail of water for drinks and ablutions, a pitcher, a covered 
porringer, two pint bowls, two tumblers, two cups and sau- 
cers, two wine-glasses, two large and two small spoons ; also 
a dish in which to wash these articles; a good supply of 
towels, and a broom. Keep a slop-bucket near by to receive 
the wash of the room. Procuring all these articles at once 
will save much noise and confusion. 

Whenever medicine or food is given, spread a clean towel 
over the person or bed-clothing, and get a clean handker- 
chief, as nothing is more annoying to a weak stomach than 
the stickiness and soiling produced by medicine and food. 

Keep the fire-place neat, and always wash all articles and 
put them in order as soon as they are out of use. A sick 
person has nothing to do but look about the room; and 
when every thing is neat and in order, a feeling of comfort 
is induced, while disorder, filth, and neglect are constant ob- 
jects of annoyance which, if not complained of, are yet felt. 

One very important particular in the case of those who 
are delicate in constitution, as well as in the case of the sick. 



318 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

is the preservation of warmth, especially in the hands and 
the feet. The equal circulation of the blood is an important 
element for good health, and this is impossible when the ex- 
tremities are habitually or frequently cold. It is owing to 
this fact that the coldness caused by wetting the feet is so 
injurious. In cases where disease or a weak constitution 
causes a feeble or imperfect circulation, great pains should 
be taken to dress the feet and hands warmly, especially 
around the wrists and ankles, where the blood-vessels are 
nearest to the surface and thus most exposed to cold. Warm 
elastic wristlets and anklets would save many a feeble per- 
son from increasing decay or disease. 

When the circulation is feeble from debility or disease, 
the union of carbon and oxygen in the capillaries is slower 
than in health, and therefore care should be taken to pre- 
serve the heat thus generated by warm clothing and protec- 
tion from cold draughts. In nervous debility it is peculiar- 
ly important to preserve the animal heat, for its excessive 
loss especially affects weak nerves. Many an invalid is care- 
lessly and habitually suffering cold feet, who would recover 
health by proper care to preserve animal heat, especially in 
the extremities. Hot fomentations in most cases w^ill be as 
good as a blister, less painful, and safer. 

Always prepare food for the sick in the neatest and most 
careful manner. It is in sickness that the senses of smell 
and taste are most susceptible of annoyance ; and often, lit- 
tle mistakes or negligences in preparing food will take away 
all appetite. 

Food for the sick should be cooked on coals, that no 
smoke may have access to it ; and great care must be taken 
to prevent, by stirring, any adherence to the bottom of the 
cooking vessel, as this always gives a disagreeable taste. 

Keeping clean handkerchiefs and towels at hand, cooling 
the pillows, sponging the hands w^ith water, (with care to 
dry them thoroughly,) swabbing the mouth with a clean 
linen rag on the end o^ a stick, are modes of increasing the 
comfort of the sick. Always throw a shawl over a sick per- 
son when raised up. 

Be careful to understand a physician's directions, and to 



CAEE OF THE SICK. 319 

ohey them implicitly. If it l^e supposed that any other per- 
son knows better about the case than the physician, dismiss 
the physician, and employ that person in his stead. 

It is always best to consult the physician as to where 
medicines shall be purchased, and to show the articles to 
him before using them, as great impositions are practiced 
in selling old, useless, and adulterated drugs. Always put 
labels on phials of medicine, and keep them out of the reach 
of children. 

Be careful to label all powders, and particularly all white 
powders^ as many poisonous medicines in this form are easily 
mistaken for others which are harmless. 

In nursing the sick, always speak gently and cheeringly ; 
and, while you express sympathy for their pain and trials, 
stimulate them to bear all with fortitude, and with resigna- 
tion to the Heavenly Father, who " doth not willingly af- 
flict," and " who causeth all things to work together for 
good to them that love him." Offer to read the Bible or 
other devotional books, whenever it is suitable, and will not 
be deemed obtrusive. 

Every woman should be trained for the office of nurse to 
the sick, and some who have special traits that fit them for 
it should make it their daily professional business. The in- 
dispensable qualities in a good nurse are common sense, con- 
scientiousness, and sympathetic benevolence. 

Persons may be conscientious and benevolent, and possess 
good judgment in many respects, and yet be miserable nurses 
of the sick for want of training and right knowledge. 

''"Kiioidedge^ the assurance that one knows what to do, 
always gives joresewce of mind — and presence of mind is im- 
portant not only in a sick-room but in every home. Who 
has not known consternation in a family when some one has 
fainted, or been burned, or cut, while none were present who 
knew how to stop the flowing blood, or revive the fainting, 
or apply the saving application to the burn ? And yet 
knowledge and efficiency in such cases would save many a- 
life, and be a most fitting and desirable accomplishment in 
every woman." 

" We are slow to learn the mighty influence of common 



320 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

agencies, and the greatness of Jittle things, in their bearing 
upon life and health. The woman who believes it takes no 
strensfth to bear a little noise or some disaojreeable an- 
nouncements, and loses patience with the weak, nervous in- 
valid who is agonized with creaking doors or shoes, or loud, 
shrill voices, or rustling papers, or sharp, fidgety motions, or 
the whispering so common in sick-rooms and often so acute- 
ly distressing to the sufferer, will soon correct such misap- 
prehensions by herself experiencing a nervous fever." 

Here the writer would put in a plea for the increasing 
multitudes of nervous sufferers not confined to a sick-room, 
and yet exposed to all the varied sources of pain incident to 
an exhausted nervous system, which often cause more intol- 
erable and also more wearing pain than other kinds of suf- 
fering. 

"An exceeding acuteness of the senses is the result of 
many forms of nervous disease. A heavy breath, an un- 
washed hand, a noise that would not have been noticed in 
health, a crooked table-cover or bed-spread, may disturb or 
oppress ; and more than one invalid has spoken in my hear- 
ing of the sickening effect produced by the nurse tasting her 
food, or blowing in her drinks to make them cool. One 
woman, and a sensible woman too, told me her nurse had 
turned a large cushion upon her bureau with the back part 
in front. She determined not to be disturbed nor to speak 
of such a trifle, but after struggling three hours in vain to 
banish the annoyance, she was forced to ask to have the 
cushion placed right." 

In this place should be mentioned the suffering caused to 
persons of reduced nervous power not only by the smoke of 
tobacco, but by the fetid efiluvium of it from the breath and 
clothing of persons who smoke. Many such are sickened in 
society and in car-traveling, and to a degree little imagined 
by those who gain a dangerous pleasure at the frequent ex- 
pense of the feeble and suffering. 

" It is often exceedingly important to the very weak, who 
can take but very little nutriment, to have that little when- 
ever they want it. I have known invalids sustain great in- 
jury and suffering; when exhausted for want of food, they 



CAKE OF THE SICK. 321 

have had to wait and wait, feeling as if every minute was an 
hour, while some well-fed nurse delayed its coming. Said a 
lady, * It makes me hungry now to think of the meals she 
brought me upon that little waiter when I was sick — such 
brown thin toast, such good broiled beef, such fragrant tea, 
and every thing looking so exquisitely nice ! If at any time 
I did not think of any thing I wanted, nor ask for food, she 
did not annoy me with questions, but brought some little 
delicacy at the proper time, and when it came I could take 
it.' 

" If there is one purpose of a personal kind for which it is 
especially desirable to lay up means, it is for being well 
nursed in sickness ; yet in the present state of society this 
is absolutely imj^ossible, even to the wealthy, because of the 
scarcity of competent nurses. Families worn down with 
the long and extreme illness of a member require relief from 
one whose feelings will be less taxed, and who can better 
endure the labor. 

"But, alas ! how often is it impossible, for love or money, 
to obtain one capable of taking the burden from the ex- 
hausted sister or mother or daughter, and how often in con- 
sequence they have died prematurely or struggled through 
weary years with a broken constitution. Appeal to those 
who have made the trial, and you will find that very seldom 
have they been able to have those who by nature or by 
training were competent for their duties. Ignorant, unscru- 
pulous, inattentive — how often they disturb and injure the 
patient ! A physician told me that one of his patients had 
died because the nurse, contrary to orders, had at a critical 
period washed her with cold water. One is known who, by 
stealth, quieted a fretful child with laudanum, and of others 
who exhausted the sick by incessant talking. One lady said 
that when, to escape this distressing garrulity, she closed her 
eyes, the nurse exclaimed, aloud, ' Why, she is going to sleep 
while I am talking to her.' 

"A few only of the sensible, quiet, and loving women, 
whose presence everywhere is a blessing, have qualified 
themselves and followed nursing as a business. Heaven 
bless that few ! What a sense of relief pervades a family 

14* 



322 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

when such an one has been procured; and what a treasure 
seemed found ! 

" There is very commonly an extreme susceptibility in the 
sick to the moral atmosphere about them. They feer the 
healthful influence of the presence of a true-hearted attend- 
ant and repose in it, though they may not be able to define 
the cause; while dissimulation, falsehood, recklessness, coarse- 
ness, jar terribly and injuriously on their heightened sensi- 
bilities. 'Are the Sisters of Charity really better nurses 
than most other women ?' asked an intelligent lady who had 
seen much of our military hospitals. * Yes, they are,' was 
the reply. * Why should it be so ?' 'I think it is because 
with them it is a work of self-abnegation, and of duty to 
God ; and they are so quiet and self-forgetful in its exercise 
that they do it better, while many other women show such 
self-consciousness and are so fussy !" 

Is there any reason why every Protestant woman should 
not be trained for this self-denying office as a duty ovied to 
God? 

We can not better close this chapter than by one more 
quotation from an intelligent and attractive writer: "The 
good nurse is an artist. Oh the pillowy, soothing softness 
of her touch, the neatness of her simple, unrustling dress, the 
music of her assured yet gentle voice and tread, the sense 
of security and rest inspired by her kind and hopeful face, 
the promptness and attention to every want, the repose that 
like an atmosphere encircles her, the evidence of heavenly 
goodness and love that she difi*uses !" Is not such an art as 
this worth much to attain ? 

In training children to the Christian life, one very impor- 
tant opportunity occurs whenever sickness appears in the 
family or neighborhood. The repression of disturbing noises, 
the speaking in tones of gentleness and sympathy, the small 
offices of service or nursing in which children can aid, should 
be inculcated as ministering to the Lord and Elder Brother 
of man, who has said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me." 

One of the blessed opportunities for such ministries is 
given to children in the cultivation of flowers. The entrance 



CARE OF THE SICK. 323 

into a sick-room of a smiling, healthful child, bringing an of- 
fering of flowers raised by its own labor, is like an angel of 
comfort and love, " and alike it blesseth him who gives and 
him who takes." 

A time is coming when the visitation of the sick, as a part 
of the Christian life, will hold a higher consideration than 
is now generally accorded, especially in the cases of uninter- 
esting sufferers who have nothing to attract kind attentions, 
except that they are suffering children of our Father in 
heaven, and "one of the least" of the brethren of Jesus 
Christ. 



324 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XX. 

PIKES AND LIGHTS. 

A SHALLOW fire-place saves wood, and gives out more heat 
than a deeper one. A false back of brick may be put up 
in a. deep fire-place. Hooks for holding up the shovel and 
tongs, a hearth-brush and bellows, and brass knobs to hang 
them on, should be furnished to every fire-place. An iron 
bar across the andirons aids in keeping the fire safe and in 
good order. Steel furniture is neater, handsomer, and more 
easily kept in order than that made of brass. 

Use green wood for logs, and mix green and dry wood 
for the fire ; and then the wood-pile will last much longer. 
Walnut, maple, hickory, and oak wood are best ; chestnut 
or hemlock is bad, because it snaps. Do not buy a load in 
which there are many crooked sticks. Learn how to meas- 
ure and calculate the solid contents of a load, so as not to 
be cheated. A cord of wood should be equivalent to a pile 
eight feet long, four feet wide and four feet high ; that is, 
it contains (8 + 4 -f 4 = 128) one hundred and twenty-eight 
cubic or solid feet. A city " load " is usually one third of 
a cord. Have all your wood split and piled under cover 
for winter. Have the green-wood logs in one pile, dry-wood 
in another, oven-wood in another, kindlings and chips in an- 
other, and a supply of charcoal to use for broiling and iron- 
ing in another place. Have a brick bin for ashes, and never 
allow them to be put in wood. When quitting fires at 
night, never leave a burning stick across the andirons, nor 
on its end, without quenching it. See that no fire adheres 
to the broom or brush ; remove all articles from the fire, and 
have two pails filled with water in the kitchen where they 
will not freeze. 

STOVES AND GRATES. 

Rooms heated by stoves should always have some open- 
ing for the admission of fi'esh air, or they will be injurious 



FIRES AXD LIGHTS. 325 

10 health. The dryness of the air which they occasion 
should be remedied by placing a vessel filled with water 
on the stove, otherwise the lungs or eyes will be injured. 
A large number of plants in a room prevents this dryness 
of the air. Where stove-pipes pass through fire-boards, the 
hole in the wood should be much larger than the pipe, so 
that there may be no danger of the wood taking fire. The 
unsightly opening thus occasioned should be covered with 
tin. When pipes are carried through floors or partitions, 
they should always pass either through earthen crocks, or 
what are known as tin stove-pipe thimbles, which may be 
found in any stove store or tinsmith's. Lengthening a pipe 
will increase its draught. 

For those who use anthracite coal, that which is broken 
or screened is best for grates, and the nut-coal for small 
stoves. Three tons are sufiScient in the Middle States, and 
four tons in the Northern, to keep one fire through the win- 
ter. That which is bright, hard, and clean, is best ; and that 
which is soft, porous, and covered with damp dust, is poor. 
It will be well to provide two barrels of charcoal for kin- 
dling to every ton of anthracite coal. Grates for bituminous 
coal should have a flue nearly as deep as the grate ; and the 
bars should be round and not close too:ether. The better 
draught there is, the less coal-dust is made. Every grate 
should be furnished with a poker, shovel, tongs, blower, coal- 
scuttle, and holder for the blower. The latter may be made 
of woolen, covered with old silk, and hung near the fire. 

Coal-stoves should be carefully put up, as cracks in the 
pipe, especially in sleeping-rooms, are dangerous. 

LIGHTS. 

Professor Phin, of the Manufacturer a7id Builder, has 
kindly given us some late information on this important 
topic, which will be found valuable. 

In choosing the source of our light, the great points to be 
considered are, first, the influence on the eyes ; and secondly, 
economy. It is poor economy to use a bad light. Modern 
houses in cities, and even in large villages, are furnished 
with gas ; where gas is not used, sperm-oil, kerosene or coal- 



326 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

oil, and candles are employed. Gas is the cheapest, (or 
ought to be ;) and if properly used, is as good as any. Good 
sperm-oil burned in an Argand lamp — that is, a lamp with a 
circular wick, like the astral lamp and others — is perhaps 
the best ; but it is expensive and attended with many incon- 
veniences. Good kerosene-oil gives a light which leaves lit- 
tle to be desired. Candles are used only on rare occasions, 
though many families prefer to manufacture into candles the 
waste grease that accumulates in the household. The econo- 
my of any source of light will depend so much upon local 
circumstances that no absolute directions can be given. 

The effect produced by light on the eyes depends upon 
the following points : Yirst, jSteadiness. Nothing is more 
injurious to the eyes than a flickering, unsteady flame. 
Hence, all flames used for light-giving purposes ought to be 
surrounded with glass chimneys or small shades. No naked 
flame can ever be steady. Second, Colo7\ This depends 
greatly upon the temperature of the flame. A hot flame 
gives a bright, white light ; a flame which has not a high 
temperature gives a dull, yellow light, which is very injuri- 
ous to the eyes. In the naked gas-jet a large portion of the 
flame burns at a low temperature, and the same is the case 
with the flame of the kerosene lamp when the height of the 
chimney is not properly proportioned to the amount of oil 
consumed ; a high wick needs a high chimney. In the case 
of a well-trimmed Argand oil-lamp, or an Argand burner for 
gas, the flame is in general most intensely hot, and the light 
is of a clear white character. 

The third point which demands attention is the amount 
of heat transmitted from the flame to the eyes. It often 
happens that people, in order to economize light, bring the 
lamji quite close to the face. This is a very bad habit. 
The heat is more injurious than the light. Better burn a 
larger flame, and keep it at a greater distance. 

It is also well that various-sized lamps should be pro- 
vided to serve the varying necessities of the household in 
regard to quantity of light. One of the very best forms of 
lamp is that known as the " student's reading-lamp," which 
is, in the burner, an Argand. Provide small lamps with 



EIRES AND LIGHTS. 327 

handles for carrying about, and broad-bottomed lamps for 
the kitchen, as these are not easily upset. Hand and kitch- 
en lamps are best made of metal, unless they are to be used 
by very careful persons. 

Sperm-oil, lard, tallow, etc., have been superseded to such 
an extent by kerosene that it is scarcely worth while to 
give any special directions in regard, to them. In the choice 
of kerosene, attention should be paid to two points : its safe- 
ty^ and its Ught-givhig qualities. Kerosene is not a simple 
fluid, like water; but is a mixture of several liquids, all of 
which boil at difierent temperatures. Good kerosene -oil 
should be purified from all that portion which boils or evap- 
orates at a low temperature ; for it is the production of this 
vapor, and its mixture with atmospheric air, that gives rise 
to those terrible explosions which sometimes occur when a 
light is brought near a can of poor oil. To test the oil in 
this respect, pour a little into an iron spoon, and heat it over 
a lamp until it is moderately warm to the touch. If the oil 
produces vapor which can be set on fire by means of a flame 
held a short distance above the surface of the liquid, it is 
bad. Good oil poured into a tea-cup or on the floor does not 
easily take fire when a light is brought in contact with it. 
Poor oil will instantly ignite under the same circumstances, 
and hence the breaking of a lamp filled with poor oil is al- 
ways attended by great peril of a conflagration. Not only 
the safet}'' but also the light-giving qualities of kerosene are 
greatly enhanced by the removal of these volatile and dan- 
gerous oils. Hence, while good kerosene should be clear in 
color, and free from all matters which can gum up the wick 
and thus interfere with free circulation and combustion, it 
should also be perfectly safe. It ought to be kept in a cool, 
dark place, and carefully excluded from the air. 

The care of lamps requires so much attention and discre- 
tion, that many ladies choose to do this work themselves, 
rather than trust it with domestics. To do it properly, pro- 
vide the following things : an old waiter to hold all the arti- 
cles used; a lamp-filler, with a spout, small at the end, and 
turned up to prevent oil from dripping ; proper wicks, and a 
basket or box to hold them ; a lamp-trimmer made for the 



328 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

purpose, or a pair of sharp scisS'ors ; a small soap-cup and 
soap ; some washing soda in a broad-mouthed bottle ; and 
several soft cloths to wash the articles and towels to wipe 
them. If every thing, after being used, is cleansed from oil 
and then kept neatly, it will not be so unpleasant a task as 
it usually is to take care of lamps. 

The inside of lamps and oil-cans should be cleansed with 
Boda dissolved in water. Be careful to drain them well, 
and not to let any gilding or bronze be injured by the soda 
coming in contact with it. Put one table-spoonful of soda 
to one quart of water. Take the lamp to pieces and clean it 
as often as necessary. Wipe the chimney at least once a 
day, and wash it whenever mere wiping fails to cleanse it. . 
Some persons, owing to the dirty state of their chimneys, 
lose half the light which is produced. Keep dry fingers in 
trimming lamps. Renew the wicks before they get too 
short. They should never be allowed to burn shorter than 
an inch and a half. 

In regard to shades, which are always well to use on 
lamps or gas, those made of glass or porcelain are now so 
cheap that we can recommend them as the best without any 
reservation. Plain shades, making the light soft and even, 
do not injure the eyes. Lamps should be lighted with a 
strip of folded or rolled paper, of which a quantity should be 
kept on the mantel-piece. Weak eyes should always be es- 
pecially shaded from the lights. Small screens, made for 
the purpose, should be kept at hand. A person with weak 
eyes can use them safely much longer when they are pro- 
tected from the glare of the light. Fill the entry-lamp every 
day, and cleanse and fill night-lanterns twice a week, if used 
often. A good night-lamp is made with a small one-wicked 
lamp and a roll of tin to set over it. Have some holes made 
in the bottom of this cover, and it can then be used to heat 
articles. Yery cheap floating tapers can be bought to burn 
in a tea-cup of oil through the night. 

TO MAKE CANDLES. 

The nicest candles are those run in molds. For this pur- 
pose, melt together one quarter of a pound of white wax. 



PIKES AND LIGHTS. 329 

one quarter of an ounce of camphor, two ounces of alum, and 
ten ounces of suet or mutton-tallow. Soak the wicks in 
lime-water and saltpetre, and when dry, fix them in the 
molds and pour in the melted tallow. Let them remain 
one night to cool ; then warm them a little to loosen them, 
draw them out, and when they are hard, put them in a box 
in a dry and cool place. 

To make dipped candles, cut the wicks of the right length, 
double them over rods, and twist them. They should first 
be dipped in lime-water or vinegar, and dried. Melt the 
tallow in a large kettle, filling it to the top with hot water, 
when the tallow is melted. Put in wax and powdered alum, 
to harden them. Keep the tallow hot over a portable fur- 
nace, and fill the kettle with hot water as fast as the tallow 
is used up. Lay two long strips of narrow board on which 
to hang the rods ; and set flat pans under, on the floor, to 
catch the grease. Take several rods at once, and wet the 
wicks in the tallow; straighten and smooth them when 
cool. Then dip them as fast as they cool, until they become 
of the proper size. Plunge them obliquely and not perpen- 
dicularly; and when the bottoms are too large, hold them 
in the hot grease till a part melts off". Let them remain one 
night to cool ; then cut off" the bottoms, and keep them in a 
dry, cool place. Cheap lights are made by dipping rushes 
in tallow, the rushes being first stripped of nearly the whole 
of the hard outer covering, and the pith alone being retained 
with just enough of the tough bark to keep it stifi". 



330 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

ON THE CARE OF ROOMS. 

In selecting the furniture of parlors, some reference should 
be had to correspondence of shades and colors. Curtains 
should be darker than the walls ; and, if the walls and car- 
pets be light, the chairs should be dark, and vich versa. Pic- 
tures always look best on light walls. 

In selecting carpets for rooms much used, it is poor econ- 
omy to buy cheap ones. Ligrain carpets, of close texture, 
and the three-ply carpets, are best for common use. Brussels 
carpets do not wear so long as the three-ply ones, because 
they can not be turned. Wilton carpets wear badly, and 
Venetia7is are good only for halls and stairs. 

In selecting colors, aA^oid those in which there are any 
black threads ; as they are usually rotten. The most taste- 
ful carpets are those which are made of various shades of 
the same color, or of all shades of only two colors ; such as 
brown and yellow, or blue and buif, or salmon and green, or 
all shades of green, or of brown. All very dark shades 
should be brown or green, but not black. 

In laying down carpets, it is a bad j^ractice to put straw 
under them, as this makes them wear out in spots. Straw 
matting, laid under carpets, makes them last much longer, 
as it is smooth and even, and the dust sifts through it. In 
buying carpets, always get a few yards over, to allow for 
waste in matching figures. 

In cutting carpets, make them three or four incher shorter 
than the room, to allow for stretching. Begin to cut in the 
middle of a figure, and it will usually match better. Many 
carpets match in two different ways, and care must be taken 
to get the right one. Sew a carpet on the wrong side, with 
double waxed thread, and with the hall-stitch. This is done 
by taking a stitch on the breadth next you, pointing the nee- 
dle toward you; and then taking a stitch on the other 



ON THE CARE OF ROOMS. 331 

breadth, pointing the needle from you. Draw the thread 
tightly, but not so as to pucker. In fitting a breadth to the 
hearth, cut slits in the right place, and turn the piece un- 
der. Bind the ichole of the carpet with carpet-binding, nail 
it with tacks, having bits of leather under the heads. To 
stretch the carpet, use a carpet-fork, which is a long stick, 
ending with notched tin, like saw-teeth. This is put in the 
edge of the carpet, and pushed by one person, while the nail 
is driven by another. Cover blocks or bricks with carpet- 
ing like that of the room, and put them behind tables, doors, 
sofas, etc., to preserve the walls from injury by knocking, or 
by the dusting-cloth. 

Cheap footstools, made of a square plank, covered with 
tow-cloth, stuffed, and then covered with carjoeting, with 
worsted handles, look very well. Sweep carpets as seldom 
as possible, as it wears them out. To shake them often is 
good economy. In cleaning carpets, use damp tea leaves, or 
wet Indian meal, throwing it about, and rubbing it over 
with the broom. The latter is very good for cleansing car- 
pets made dingy by coal-dust. In brushing carpets in ordi- 
nary use, it will be found very convenient to use a large flat 
dust-p:in, with a perpendicular handle a yard high, put on 
so that the pan will stand alone, This can be carried about 
and used without stooping, brushing dust into it with a 
common or small whisk broom. The pan must be very 
large, or it will be upset. 

When carpets are taken up, they should be hung on a 
line, or laid on long grass, and whipped, first on one side, and 
then on the other, with pliant whips. If laid aside, they 
should be sewed up tight in linen, having snufiT or tobacco 
put along all the crevices where moths could enter. Shak- 
ing pepper, from a pepper-box, round the edge of the floor, 
under a carpet, prevents the access of moths. 

Carpets can be best washed on the floor, thus: First shake 
them; and then, after cleaning the floor, stretch and nail 
them upon it. Then scrub them in cold soap-suds, having 
half a tea-cupful of ox-gall to a bucket of water. Then wash 
off the suds with a cloth in fair water. Set open the doors 
and windows for two days or more. Imperial Brussels, Ve- 



332 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

netiaii, ingrain, and three-ply carpets can be washed thus ; 
but Wilton and other plush carpets can not. Before wash- 
ing them, take out grease with a paste made of potter's 
clay, ox-gall, and water. 

Straw matting is the best for chambers and summer par- 
lors. The checked, of two colors, is not so good to wear. 
The best is the cheapest in the end. When washed, it 
should be done with salt water, wiping it dry ; but frequent 
washing injures it. Bind matting with cotton binding. 
Sew breadths together like carpeting. In joining the ends 
of pieces, ravel out a part, and tie the threads together, turn- 
ing under a little of each piece, and then, laying the ends 
close, nail them down, w^ith nails having kid under their 
heads. 

In hanging pictures, put them so that the lower part shall 
be opposite the eye. Cleanse the glass of pictures with 
whiting, as water endangers the pictures. Gilt frames can 
be much better preserved by putting on a coat of copal var- 
nish, which, with proper brushes, can be bought of carriage 
or cabinet makers. When dry, it can be washed with fair 
water. Wash the brush in spirits of turpentine. 

Curtains, ottomans, and sofas covered with worsted, can 
be cleansed by wheat bran rubbed on with flannel. Dust 
Venetian blinds with feather brushes. Buy light-colored 
ones, as the green are going of fashion. Strips of linen or 
cotton, on rollers and pulleys, are much in use, to shut out 
the sun from curtains and carpets. Paper curtains, pasted 
on old cotton, are good for chambers. Put them on rollers 
having cords nailed to them, so that when the curtain falls 
the cord will be wound up. Then, by pulling the cord, the 
curtain will be rolled up. 

House -cleaning should be done in dry, warm weather. 
Several friends of the writer maintain that cleaning paint, 
and windows, and floors in hard^ cold water, without any 
soap, using a flannel wash-cloth, is much better than using 
warm suds. It is worth trying. In cleaning in the com- 
mon way, sponges are best for windows, and clean water 
only should be used. They should be first wiped with lin- 
en, and then with old silk. The outside of windows should 



ON THE CARE OF ROOMS. 333 

be washed with a long brush made for the purpose ; and 
they should be rmsed, by throwing upon them water con- 
taining a little saltpetre. 

When inviting company, mention in the note the day of 
the month and week, and the hour for coming. Provide a 
place for ladies to dress their hair, with a glass, pins, and 
combs. A pitcher of cold water and a tumbler should be 
added. When the company is small, it is becoming a com- 
mon method for the table to be set at one end of the room, 
the lady of the house to pour out tea, and the gentlemen of 
the party to wait on the ladies and themselves. When tea 
is sent round, always send a tea-pot of hot water to weaken 
it, and a slop-bowl, or else many persons will drink their tea 
much stronger than they wish. 

Let it ever be remembered that the burning of lights and 
the breath of guests are constantly exhausting the air of its 
healthful principle ; therefore avoid crowding many guests 
into one room. Do not tempt the palate by a great variety 
of unhealthful dainties. Have a warm room for departing 
guests, that they may not become chilled before they go out. 

A parlor should be furnished w^th candle and fire scr^^ens, 
for those who have weak eyes ; and if, at table, a person sits 
with the back near the fire, a screen should be hung on the 
back of the chair, as it is very injurious to the whole system 
to have the back heated. 

Pretty baskets, for flowers or fruits, on centre-tables, can 
be made thus : Knit, with coarse needles, all the various 
shades of green and brown, into a square piece. Press it 
with a hot iron, and then ravel it out. Buy a pretty-shaped 
wicker-basket, or make one of stifi" millinet, or thin paste- 
board, cut the worsted into bunches, and sew them on, to 
resemble moss. Then line the basket, and set a cup or dish 
of water in it, to hold flowers, or use it for a fruit-basket. 
Handsome fire-boards are made by nailing black foundation- 
muslin to a frame the size of the fire-place, and then cutting 
out flowers from wall-paper and pasting them on the mus- 
lin, according to the fancy. 

Mahogany furniture should be made in the spring, and 
stand some months before it is used, or it will shrink and 



334 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

warp. Varnished furniture should be rubbed only with 
silk, except occasionally, when a little sweet-oil should be 
rubbed over, and wijjed off carefully. For unvarnished fur- 
niture, use beeswax, a little softened with sweet-oil ; rub it 
in with a hard brush, and polish with woolen and silk rags. 
Some persons rub in linseed-oil ; others mix beeswax with a 
little spirits of turpentine and rosin, making it so that it can 
be put on with a sponge, and wiped off Avith a soft rag. 
Others keep in a bottle the following mixture : two ounces 
of spirits of turpentine, four table-spoonfuls of sweet-oil, and 
one quart of milk. This is applied with a sponge, and wiped 
off with a linen rag. 

Hearths and jambs, of brick, look best painted over with 
black-lead, mixed with soft soap. Wash the bricks which 
are nearest the fire with redding and milk, using a painter's 
brush. A sheet of zinc, covering the whole hearth, is cheap, 
saves w^ork, and looks very well. A tinman can fit it prop- 
erly. 

Stone hearths should be rubbed with a paste of powdered 
stone, (to be procured of the stone-cutters,) and then brushed 
-.sr^ith h stiff brush. Kitchen-hearths, of stone, are improved 
by rubbing in lamp-oil. 

Stains can be removed from marble by oxalic acid and 
water, or oil of vitriol and water, left on fifteen minutes, and 
then rubbed dry. Gray marble is improved by linseed-oil. 
Grease can be taken from marble by ox-gall and potter's 
clay wet with soap-suds, (a gill of each). It is better to add, 
also, a gill of spirits of turpentine. It improves the looks 
of marble to cover it with this mixture, leaving it two days, 
and then rubbing it off. 

Unless a parlor is in constant use, it is best to sweep it 
only once a week, and at other times use a whisk-broom and 
dust-pan. When a parlor with handsome furniture is to be 
swept, cover the sofas, centre-table, piano, books, and man- 
tel-piece, with old cottons, kept for the purpose. Remove 
the rugs, and shake them, and clean the jambs, hearth, and 
fire-furniture. Then sweep the room, moving every article. 
Dust the furniture with a dust-brush and a piece of old silk 
A painter's brush should be kept to remove dust from ledger 



ox THE CAKE OF ROOMS. 335 

and crevices. The dust-cloths should be often shaken and 
washed, or else they will soil the walls and furniture when 
they are used. Dust ornaments, and fine books, with feath- 
er brushes, kept for the purpose. 

ON THE CARE OP BREAKFAST AND DINING ROOMS. 

An eating-room should have in it a large closet, with 
drawers and shelves, in which should be kept all the articles 
used at meals. This, if possible, should communicate wuth 
the kitchen by a sliding window, or by a door, and have in 
it a window, and also a small sink, made of marble or lined 
with zinc, which will be a great convenience for washing 
nice articles. If there be a dumb-waiter, it is best to have 
it connected with such a closet. It may be so contrived, 
that, when it is down, it shall form part of the closet floor. 

A table-rug, or crumb-cloth, is useful to save carpets from 
injury. Bocking, or baize, is best. Always spread the same 
side up, or the carpet will be soiled by the rug. Table-mats 
are needful, to prevent injury to the table from the warm 
dishes. Tea-cup-mats, or small plates, are useful to save the 
table-cloths from dripping tea or coffee. Butter-knives for 
the butter-^^late, and salt-spoons for salt dishes, are designed 
to prevent those disgusting marks which are made when 
persons use their own knives to take salt or butter. A sug- 
ar-spoon should be kept in or by the sugar-dish, for the same 
j^urpose. Table-napkins, of diaper, are often laid by each 
person's plate, for use during the meal, to save the table- 
cloth and pocket-handkerchief. To preserve the same nap- 
kin for the same person, each member of the family has a 
given number, and the napkins are numbered to correspond, 
or else are slipped into ivory rings, which are numbered. A 
stranger has a clean one at each meal. Table-cloths should 
be well starched, and ironed on the right side, and always, 
when taken off, folded in the ironed creases. Doilies are 
colored napkins, which, when fruit is offered, should always 
be furnished, to prevent a person from staining a nice 
handkerchief, or permitting the fruit -juice to dry on the 
fingers. 

Casters and salt-stands should be put in order, every 



336 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

morning, when washing the breakfast things. Always, if 
possible, provide ^?ie and dry table-salt, as many persons are 
much disgusted with that which is dark, damp, and coarse. 
Be careful to keep salad-oil closely corked, or it will grow 
rancid. Never leave the salt-spoons in the salt, nor the 
mustard-spoon in the mustard, as they are thereby injured. 
Wipe them immediately after the meal. 

For table-furniture, French china is deemed the nicest, but 
it is liable to the objection of having plates so made that 
salt, butter, and similar articles, will not lodge on the edge, 
but slip into the centre. Select knives and forks which 
have weights in the handles, so that, when laid down, they 
will not touch the table. Those with riveted handles last 
longer than any others. Horn handles (excejDt buck-horn) 
are very poor. The best are cheapest in the end. Knives 
should be sharpened once a month, unless they are kept 
sharp by. the mode of scouring. 

ON SETTING TABLES. 

Neat housekeepers observe the manner in which a table 
is set more than any thing else; and, to a person of good 
taste, few things are more annoying than to see the table 
placed askew ; the table-cloth soiled, rumpled, and put on 
awry; the plates, knives, and dishes thrown about without 
any order ; the pitchers soiled on the outside, and sometimes 
within; the tumblers dim; the caster out of order; the but- 
ter pitched on the plate, without any symmetry ; the salt 
coarse, damp, and dark ; the bread cut in a mixture of junks 
and slices ; the dishes of food set on at random, and without 
mats; the knives dark or rusty, and their handles greasy; 
the tea-furniture all out of order, and every thing in similar 
style. And yet, many of these negligences will be met with 
at the tables of persons who call themselves well bred, and 
who have wealth enough to make much outside show. One 
reason for this is, the great difficulty of finding domestics 
who will attend to these things in a j^roper manner, and 
who, after they have been repeatedly instructed, will not 
neglect nor forget what has been said to them. The writer 
has known cases where much has been gained by placing 



ox THE CAKE OF KOOMS. 337 

the following rules in plain sight, in the place where the ar- 
ticles for setting tables are kept. 

RULES FOE SETTING A TABLE. 

1. Lay the rug square with the room, and also smooth and 
even ; then set the table also square with the room, and see 
that the legs are in the right position to support the leaves. 

2. Lay the table-cloth square with the table, right side iqy, 
smooth and even. 

3. Put on the tea-tray (for breakfast or tea) square with 
the table ; set the cups and saucers at the front side of the 
tea-tray, and the sugar, slop-bowls, and cream-cup at the 
back side. Lay the sugar-spoon or tongs on the sugar-bowl. 

4. Lay the plates around the table at equal intervals, and 
the knives and forks at regular distances, each in the same 
particular manner, with a cup-mat or cup-plate to each, and 
a napkin at the right side of each person. 

5. If meat be used, set the caster and salt-cellars in the 
centre of the table ; then lay mats for the dishes, and place 
the carving-knife and fork and steel by the master of the 
house. Set the biitter on two plates, one on either side, 
with a butter-knife by each. 

6. Set the tea or coffee-pot on a mat, at the right hand of 
the tea-tray, (if there be not room upon it.) Then place the 
chairs around the table, and call the family. 

FOR DIXNEE. 

1. Place the rug, table, table-cloth, plates, knives and 
forks, and napkins, as before directed, wuth a tumbler by 
each plate. In cold weather, set the plates where they will 
be warmed. 

2. Put the caster in the centre, and the salt-stands at two 
oblique corners, of the table, the latter between two large 
spoons crossed. If more spoons be needed, lay them on 
each side of the caste^ crossed. Set the pitcher on a mat, 
either at a side-table, or, when there is no waiter, on the din- 
ing-table. Water looks best in glass decanters. 

3. Set the bread on the table, when there is no waiter. 
Some take a fork and lay a piece on the napkin or tumbler 

15 



338 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

by each plate. Others keep it in a tray, covered witK u 
white napkin to keep off flies. Bread for dinner is often cut 
in small junks, and not in slices. 

4. Set the principal dish before the master of the house, 
and the other dishes in a regular manner. Put the carving- 
knife, fork, and steel by the principal dish, and also a knife- 
rest, if one be used. 

5. Put a small knife and fork by the pickles, and also by 
any other dishes which need them. Then place the chairs. 

ON WAITING AT TABLE. 

A domestic who waits on the table should be required to 
keep the hair and hands in neat order, and have on a clean 
apron. A small tea-tray should be used to carry cups and 
plates. The waiter should announce the meal (when ready) 
to the mistress of the family, then stand by the eating-room 
door till all are in, then close the door, and step to the left 
side of the lady of the house. When all are seated, the 
waiter should remove the covers, taking care first to invert 
them, so as not to drop the steam on the table-cloth or 
guests. In presenting articles, go to the left side of the 
person. In pouring water, never entirely fill the tumbler. 
The waiter should notice when bread or water is wanting, 
and hand it without being called. When plates are changed, 
be careful not to drop knives or forks. Brush off crumbs, 
with a crumb-brush, into a small waiter. 

When there is no domestic waiter, a light table should be 
set at the left side of the mistress of the house, on which the 
bread, water, and other articles not in immediate use can be 
placed. 

ON CARVING AND HELPING AT TABLE. 

It is considered an accomplishment for a lady to know 
how to carve well at her own table. It is not proper to 
stand in carving. The carving-knif^ should be sharp and 
thin. To carve fowls (which should always be laid with 
the breast uppermost,) place the fork in the breast, and take 
off the wings and legs without turning the fowl ; then cut 
out the merry-thought, cut slices from the breast, take out 



ON THE CARE OF EOOMS. 339 

the collar bone, cut off the side pieces, and then cut the car- 
cass in two. Divide the joints in the leg of a turkey. 

In helping the guests, when no choice is expressed, give a 
piece of both the white and dark meat, with some of the 
stuffing. Inquire whether the guest will be helped to each 
kind of vegetable, and put the gravy on the plate, and not 
on any article of food. 

In carving a sirloin, cut thin slices from the side next to 
you, (it must be put on the dish with the tenderloin under- 
neath ;) then turn it, and cut from the tenderloin. Help the 
guest to both kinds. 

In carving a leg of mutton or a ham, begin by cutting 
across the middle to the bone. Cut a tongue across, and 
not lengthwise, and help from the middle part. 

Carve a fore-quarter of lamb by separating the shoulder 
from the ribs, and then dividing the ribs. To carve a loin 
of veal, begin at the smaller end and separate the ribs. Help 
each one to a piece of the kidney and its fat. Carve pork 
and mutton in the same way. 

To carve a fillet of veal, begin at the top, and help to the 
stuffing with each slice. In a breast of veal, separate the 
breast and brisket, and then cut them up, asking which part 
is preferred. In carving a pig, it is customary to divide it, 
and take off the head, before it comes to the table ; as, to 
many persons, the head is very revolting. Cut off the limbs, 
and divide the ribs. In carving venison, make a deep in- 
cision down to the bone, to lei out the juices; then turn the 
broad end of the haunch toward you, cutting deep, in thin 
slices. For a saddle of venison, cut from the tail toward 
the other end, on each side, in thin slices. Warm plates are 
very necessary with venison and mutton, and in winter are 
desirable for all meats. 

ON THE CARE OF CHAMBERS AND BEDROOMS. 

Every mistress of a -.family should see not only that all 
sleeping-rooms in her house ccm be well ventilated at night, 
but that they actually are so. Where there is no open fire- 
place to admit the pure air from the exterior, a door should 
be left open into an entry, or room where fresh air is admit- 



340 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AXD HEALTHKEEPEE. 

ted ; or else a small opening should be made in the top and 
bottom of a window, taking care not to allow a draught of 
air to cross the bed. The debility of childhood, the lassitude 
of domestics, and the ill health of families, are often caused 
by neglecting to provide a supply of pure air. Straw mat- 
tin o- is best for a chamber carpet, and strips of woolen car- 
peting may be laid by the side of the bed. Where cham- 
bers have no closets, a loardrohe is indispensable. A low 
square box, set on casters, with a cushion on the top, and a 
drawer on one side to put shoes in, is a great convenience in 
dressing the feet. An old Champagne basket, fitted up with 
a cushion on the lid, and a valance fastened to it to cover 
the sides, can be used for the same purpose. 

Another convenience, for a room where sewing is done in 
summer, is a fancy jar, set in one corner, to receive clippings, 
and any other rubbish. It can be covered with prints or 
paintings, and varnished, and then looks very prettily. 

The trunks in a chamber can be improved in looks and 
comfort by making cushions of the same size and shape, 
stuffed with hay and covered with chintz, with a frill reach- 
ing nearly to the floor. 

Every bed-chamber should have a wash-stand, bowl, pitch- 
er, and tumbler, with a wash-bucket under the stand, to re- 
ceive slops. A light screen, made like a clothes-frame, and 
covered with paper or chintz, should be furnished for bed- 
rooms occupied by two persons, so that ablutions can be 
performed in privacy. It can be ornamented, so as to look 
well anywhere. A little frame, or towel-horse, by the wash- 
stand, on which to dry towels, is a convenience. A wash- 
stand should be furnished with a sponge or wash-cloth, and 
a small towel, for wiping the basin after using it. This 
should be hung on the wash-stand or towel-horse, for con- 
stant use. A soap-dish, and a dish for tooth-brushes, are neat 
and convenient, and each person should be furnished with 
two towels ; one for the feet, and one for other purposes. 

It is in good taste to have the curtains, bed-quilt, valance 
and window-curtains of similar materials. In making feath 
er-beds, side-pieces should be put in, like those of mattresses 
and the bed should be well filled, so that a person will no 



ON THE CAEE OF ROOMS. 341 

be buried in a hollow, which is not healthful, save in ex- 
tremely cold weather. Feather-beds should never be used 
except in cold weather. At other times, a thin mattress of 
hair, cotton and moss, or straw, should be put over them. A 
simple strip of broad straw matting, spread over a feather- 
bed, answers the same purpose. Nothing is more debilita- 
ting than, in warm weather, to sleep with a feather-bed press- 
ing round the greater part of the body. Pillows stuffed 
with papers an inch square are good for summer, especially 
for young, children, whose heads should be kept cool. The 
cheapest and best covering of a bed, for winter, is a cotton 
comforter^ made to contain three or four pounds of cotton, 
laid in bats or sheets, between covers tacked together at 
regular intervals. They should be three yai-ds square, and 
less cotton should be put at the sides that are tucked in. It 
is better to have two thin comforters to each bed, than one 
thick one ; as then the covering can be regulated according 
to the weather. 

Few domestics will make a bed properly without much 
attention from the mistress of the family. The following di- 
rections should be given to those who do this work : 

Open the windows, and lay off the bed-covering, on two 
chairs, at the foot of the bed. After the bed is well aired, 
shake the feathers, from each corner to the middle ; then 
take up the middle, and shake it well, and turn the bed over. 
Then push the feathers in place, making the head higher 
than the foot, and the sides even, and as high as the middle 
part. Then put on the bolster and the under sheet, so that 
the wrong side of the sheet shall go next the bed, and the 
rnarhing come at the head, tucking in all around. Then put 
on the pillows, even, so that the open ends shall come to the 
sides of the bed, and then spread on the upper sheet, so that 
the wrong side shall be next the blankets and the marked 
end at the head. This arrangement of sheets is to prevent 
the part where the feet lie from being reversed, so as to 
come to the face, and also to prevent the parts soiled by the 
body from coming to the bed-tick and blankets. Then put 
on the other covering, except the outer one, tucking in all 
around, and then turn over the upper sheet, at the head, so 



342 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

as to show a part of the pillows. When the pillow-cases 
are clean and smooth, they look best outside of the cover, 
but not otherwise. Then draw the hand along the side of 
the pillows, to make an even indentation, and then smooth 
and shape the whole outside. A nice housekeeper always 
notices the manner in which a bed is made; and in some 
parts of the country it is rare to see this work properly per- 
formed. 

The writer would here urge every mistress of a family 
who keeps more than one domestic to provide them with 
single beds, that they may not be obliged to sleep with all 
the changing domestics, who come and go so often. Where 
the room is too small for two beds, a narrow truckle-bed 
under another will answer. Domestics should be furnished 
with washing conveniences in their chambers, and be en- 
couraged to kee]3 their persons and rooms neat and in order. 

ON PACKING AND STORING ARTICLES. 

Fold a gentleman's coat thus : Lay it on a table or bed, 
the inside downward, and unroll the collar. Double each 
sleeve once, making the crease at the elbow, and laying 
them so as to make the fewest wrinkles, and parallel with 
the skirts. Turn the fronts over the back and sleeves, and 
then turn up the skirts, making all as smooth as possible. 

Fold a shirt thus: Oae that has a bosom-piece inserted, 
lay on a bed, bosom downward. Fold each sleeve twice, 
and lay it parallel with the sides of the shirt. Turn the 
two sides, with the sleeves, over the middle part, and then 
turn up the bottom, with two folds. This makes the collar 
and bosom lie, unpressed, on the outside. 

Fold a frock thus : Lay its front downward, so as to make 
the first creases in folding come in the side breadths. To 
do this, find the middle of the side breadths by first putting 
the middle of the front and back breadths together. Next, 
fold over the side creases so as just to meet the slit behind. 
Then fold the skirt again, so as to make the backs lie to- 
gether within and the fronts without. Then arrange the 
waist and sleeves, and fold the skirt around them. 

In packing trunks for traveling, put all heavy articles at 



ON" THE CAKE OF BOOMS. 343 

the bottom, covered with paper, which should not be print- 
ed, as the ink rubs off. Put coats and pantaloons into linen 
cases, made for the purpose, and furnished with strings. 
Fill all crevices with small articles ; as, if a trunk is not full, 
nor tightly packed, its contents will be shaken about and 
get injured. Under-clothing packs closer by being rolled 
tightly, instead of being folded. 

Bonnet-boxes, made of light wood, with a lock and key, 
are better than the paper bandboxes so annoying to trav- 
elers. Carpet-bags are very useful, to carry the articles to 
be used on a journey. The best ones have sides inserted, 
iron rims, and a lock and key. A large silk traveling-bag" 
with a double linen lining, in which are stitched receptacles 
for tooth-brush, combs, and other small articles, is a very 
convenient article for use when traveling. 

A bonnet-cover, made of some thin material, like a large 
hood with a cape, is useful to draw over the bonnet and 
neck, to keep off dust, sun, and sparks from a steam-engine. 
Green veils are very apt to stain bonnets when damp. 

In packing household furniture for moving, have each 
box numbered, and then have a book, in which, as each box 
is packed, note down the number of the box, and the order 
in which its contents are packed, as this will save much la- 
bor and perplexity when unpacking. In packing china and 
glass, wrap each article separately in paper, and put soft 
hay or straw at bottom and all around each. Put the heav- 
iest articles at the bottom, and on the top of the box write, 
"This side up." 

o:n" the cake of the kitchen, cellar, and store-koom. 

If parents wish their daughters to grow up with good 
domestic habits, they should have, as one means of securing 
this result, a neat and cheerful kitchen. A kitchen should 
always, if possible, be entirely above-ground, and well light- 
ed. It should have a large sink, with a drain running un- 
der-ground, so that all the premises may be kept sweet and 
clean. If flowers and shrubs be cultivated around the doors 
and windows, and the yard near them be kept well turfed, 
it will add very much to their agreeable appearance. The 



344 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPER. 

walls should often be cleaned and whitewashed, to promote 
a neat look and pure air. The floor of a kitchen should be 
painted, or, which is better, covered with an oil-cloth. To 
procure a kitchen oil-cloth as cheaply as possible, buy cheap 
tow cloth, and fit it to the size and shape of the kitchen. 
Then have it stretched, and nailed to the south side of the 
barn, and with a brush cover it with a coat of- thin rye 
paste. When this is dry, j)ut on a coat of yellow paint, and 
let it dry for a fortnight. It is safest to first try the paint, 
and see if it dries well, as some paint never will dry. Then 
put on a second coat, and, at the end of another fortnight, a 
third coat. Then let it hang two months, and it will last, 
uninjured, for many years. The longer the paint is left to 
dry, the better. If varnished, it will last much longer. 

A sink should be scalded out every day, and occasionally 
with hot ley. On nails, over the sink, should be hung three 
good dish-cloths, hemmed, and furnished with loops — one for 
dishes not grensy, one for greasy dishes, and one for wash- 
ing pots and kettles. These should be put in the wash 
every week. The lady who insists upon this will not be 
annoyed by having her dishes washed with dark, musty, and 
greasy rags, as is too frequently the case. 

Under the sink should be kept a slop-pail ; and, on a shelf 
by it, a soap-dish and two water-pails. A large boiler, of 
warm soft Avater, should always be kept over the fire, well 
covered, and a hearth-broom and bellows be hung near the 
fire. A clock is a very important article in the kitchen, in 
order to secure regularity at meals. 

ON WASHING DISHES. 

No item of domestic labor is so frequently done in a neg- 
ligent manner by domestics as this. A full supply of con- 
veniences will do much toward a remedy of this evil. A 
Bwab, made of strips of linen, tied to a stick, is useful to 
wash nice dishes, especially small, deep articles. Two or 
three towels, and three dish-cloths, should be used. Two 
large tin tubs, painted on the outside, should be provided ; 
one for washing, and one for rinsing ; also, a large old 
waiter, on which to drain the dishes. A soap-dish, with 



ON THE CARE OP ROOMS. 345 

hard soap, and a fork, with which to use it, a slop-pail, and 
two pails for water, should also be furnished. Then, if there 
be danger of neglect, the following rules for washing dishes, 
legibly written, may be hung up by the sink, and it will aid 
in promoting the desired care and neatness. 

RULES FOR WASHING DISHES. 

1. Scrape the dishes, putting away any food which may 
remain on them, and which it may be proper to save for fu- 
ture use. Put grease into the grease-pot, and whatever 
else may be on the plates, into the slop-pail. Save tea- 
leaves, for sweeping. Set all the dishes, when scraped, in 
regular piles ; the smallest at the top. 

2. Put the nicest articles in the wash-dish, and wash them 
in hot suds, with the swab or nicest dish-cloth. Wipe all 
metal articles as soon as they are washed. Put all the rest 
into the rinsing-dish, which should be filled with hot water. 
When they are taken out, lay them to drain on the waiter. 
Then rinse the dish-cloth and hang it up, wipe the articles 
washed, and put them in their places. 

3. Pour in more hot water, wash the greasy dishes with 
the dish-cloth made for them ; rinse them, and set them to 
drain. Wipe them, and set them away. Wash the knives 
and forks, being careful that the handles are never put in 
water; wipe them, and then lay them in a knife-dish to be 
scoured. 

4. Take a fresh supply of clean suds, in which wash the 
milk-pans, buckets, and tins. Then rinse and hang up this 
dish-cloth, and take the other ; with which wash the roaster, 
gridiron, pots, and kettles. Then wash and rinse the dish- 
cloth, and hang it up. Empty the slop-bucket and scald it. 
Dry metal tea-pots and tins before the fire. Then put the 
fire-place in order, and sweep and dust the kitchen. 

Some persons keep a deep and narrow vessel, in which to 
wash knives with a swab, so that a careless domestic can not 
lay them in the water while washing them. This article can 
be carried into the eating-room, to receive the knives and 
forks when they are taken from the table. 

15* 



346 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



KITCHEISr rUENITUEE. 

Crockery. — Brown earthen pans are said to be best for 
milk and for cooking. Tin pans are lighter, and more con- 
venient, but are too cold for many purposes. Tall earthen 
jars with covers are good tO' hold butter, salt, lard, etc. 
Acids should never be put into the red earthenware, as 
there is a poisonous ingredient in the glazing which the acid 
takes off. Stone ware is better and stronger, and safer every- 
way than any other kind. 

Iron Ware, — Many kitchens are very imperfectly supplied 
with the requisite conveniences for cooking. When a per- 
son has sufficient means, the following articles are all desira- 
ble : A nest of iron pots, of different sizes, (they should be 
slowly heated when new;) a long iron fork, to take out arti- 
cles from boiling water; an iron hook with a handle, to 
lift pots from the crane ; a large and small gridiron, with 
grooved bars, and a trench to catch the grease; a Dutch 
oven, called also a bake-pan : two skillets, of different sizes, 
and a spider, or flat skillet, for frying; a griddle, a waffle- 
iron, tin and iron bake and bread pans ; two ladles, of differ- 
ent sizes ; a skimmer ; iron skewers ; a toasting-iron ; two 
tea-kettles, one small and one large one ; two brass kettles, 
of different sizes, for soap-boiling, etc. Iron kettles lined 
with porcelain are better for preserves. The German are 
the best. Too hot a fire will crack them, but with care in 
this respect they will last for many years. 

Portable charcoal furnaces, of iron or clay, are very useful 
in summer, in washing, ironing, and stewing, or making pre- 
serves. If used in the house, a strong draught must be 
made, to prevent the deleterious effects of the charcoal. A 
box and mill, for spice, pepper, and coffee, are needful to 
those who use these articles. Strong knives and forks, a 
sharp carving-knife, an iron cleaver and board, a fine saw, 
steelyards, chopping-tray and knife, an apple-parer, steel for 
sharpening knives, sugar-nippers, a dozen iron spoons, also a 
large iron one with a long handle, six or eight flat-irons, one 
of them very small, two iron-stands, a ruffle-iron, a crimping- 
iron, are also desirable. 

Tin Ware, — Bread-pans • large and small patty-pans ; cake- 



ON THE CARE OF EOOMS. 347 

pans, with a centre tube to insure their baking well ; pie- 
dishes, (of block-tin ;) a covered butter-kettle ; covered ket- 
tles to hold berries ; two saucepans ; a large oil-can, (with 
a cock;) a lamp-filler; a lantern; broad -bottomed candle- 
sticks for the kitchen ; a candle-box ; a funnel ; a reflector 
for baking warm cakes ; ai#oven or tin-kitchen ; an apple- 
corer ; an apple-roaster : an egg-boiler ; two sugar-scoops, 
and flour and meal scoop ; a set of mugs ; three dippers ; a 
pint, quart, and gallon measure ; a set of scales and weights ; 
three or four pails, painted on the outside ; a slop-bucket 
with a tight cover, painted on the outside ; a milk-strainer ; 
a gravy-strainer; a colander; a dredging-box ; a pepper- 
box; a large and small grater ; a cheese-box ; also a large 
box for cake, and a still larger one for bread^ with tight cov- 
ers. Bread, cake, and cheese, shut up in this way, will not 
grow dry as in the open air. 

'Wbode7i Ware. — A nest of tubs ; a set of pails and bowls ; 
a large and small sieve ; a beetle for mashing potatoes ; a 
spade or stick for stirring butter and sugar ; a bread-board, 
for molding bread and making pie-crust ; a coflee-stick ; a 
clothes-stick ; a mush-stick ; a meat-beetle, to pound tough 
meat; an egg-beater; a ladle, for working butter; a bread- 
trough, (for a large family ;) flour-buckets, with lids, to hold 
sifted flour and Indian meal ; salt-boxes ; sugar-boxes ; starch 
and indigo boxes; spice-boxes; a bosom -board; a skirt- 
board ; a large ironing-board ; two or three clothes-frames ; 
and six dozen clothes-pins. 

Basket Ware. — Baskets of all sizes, for eggs, fruit, market- 
ing, clothes, etc. ; also chip-baskets. When often used, they 
should be w^ashed in hot suds. 

Othei' Articles. — Every kitchen needs a box containing 
balls of brown thread and twine, a large and small darning- 
needle, rolls of waste paper and old linen and cotton, and a 
supply of common holders. There should also be another 
box, containing a hammer, carpet-tacks, and nails of all sizes, 
a carpet-claw^, screws and a screw-driver, pincers, gimlets of 
several sizes, a bed-screw, a small saw, two chisels, (one to 
use for button-holes in broadcloth,) two awls, and two files. 

In a drawer or cupboard should be placed cotton table- 
cloths for kitchen use ; nice crash towels for tumblers, 



348 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPEE, 

marked T T ; coarser towels for dishes marked T ; six large 
roller-towels; a dozen hand-towels, marked H T; and a dozen 
hemmed dish-cloths with loops. Also two thick linen pud- 
ding or dumpling cloths, a jelly-bag made of white flannel, to 
strain jelly, a starch-strainer, and a bag for boiling clothes. 

In a closet should be kept, jffl*anged in order, the follow- 
ing articles : the dust-pan, dust-brush, and dusting-cloths, 
old flannel and cotton for scouring and rubbing, large 
sponges for washing windows and looking-glasses, a long 
brush for cobAvebs, and another for washing the outside of 
windows, whisk-brooms, common brooms, a coat-broom or 
brush, a whitewash-brush, a stove-brush, shoe-brushes and 
blacking, articles for cleaning tin and silver, leather for clean- 
ing metals, bottles containing stain-mixtures and other arti- 
cles used in cleansing. 

CAEE OF THE CELLAR, 

A cellar should often be whitewashed, to keep it sweet. 
It should have a drain to keep it perfectly dry, as standing 
water in a cellar is a sure cause of disease in a family. It 
is very dangerous to leave decayed vegetables in a cellai*. 
Many a fever has been caused by the poisonous miasm thus 
generated. The following articles are desirable in a cellar : 
a safe, or movable closet, with sides of wire or perforated 
tin, in which cold meats, cream, and other articles should be 
kept ; (if ants be troublesome, set the legs in tin cups of 
water ;) a refrigerator, or a large wooden box, on feet, with 
a lining of tin or zinc, and a space between the tin and wood 
filled with powdered charcoal, having at the bottom a place for 
ice, a drain to carry off" the water, and also movable shelves 
and partitions. In this articles are kept cool. It should be 
cleaned once a week. Filtering-jars, to purify water, should 
also be kept in the cellar. Fish and cabbages in a cellar are 
apt to scent a house, and give a bad taste to other articles. 

STORE-ROOM. 

Every house needs a store-room, in which to keep tea, 
coffee, sugar, rice, candles, etc. It should be furnished with 
jars having labels, a large spoon, a fork, sugar and flour 
scoops,.a towel, and a dish-cloth. 



THE CAKE OF YARDS AND GARDENS. 349 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE CARE OP YARDS AND GARDENS. 

First, let lis say a few words on the Preparation of Soil. 
If the garden soil be clayey and adhesive, put on a covering 
of sand, three inches thick, and the same depth of well-rotted 
manure. Spade it in as deep as possible, and mix it well. 
If the soil be sandy and loose, spade in clay and ashes. 
Ashes are good for all kinds of soil, as they loosen those 
which are close, hold moisture in those which are sandy, and 
destroy insects. The best kind of soil is that which will 
hold Avater the longest without becoming hard when dry. 

To prepare Soil for Pot-plants^ take one fourth part of 
common soil, one fourth part of well-decayed manure, and 
one half of vegetable mold, from the woods or from a chip- 
yard. Break up the manure fine, and sift it through a lime- 
screen, (or coarse wire sieve.) These materials must be 
thoroughly mixed. When the common soil which is used is 
adhesive, and indeed in most other cases, it is necessary to 
add sand, the proportion of which must depend on the na- 
ture of the soil. 

To prepare a Hot-Bed^ dig a pit six feet long, five feet 
wide, and thirty inches deep. Make a frame of the same 
size, with the back two feet high, the. front fifteen Inches, and 
the sides sloped from the back to the front. Make two 
sashes, each three feet by five, Avith the panes of glass lap- 
ping like shingles instead of having cross-bars. Set the 
frame over the pit, which should then be filled with fresh 
horse-dung which has not lain long nor been sodden by wa- 
ter. Tread it down hard; then put into the frame light and 
very rich soil, six or eight inches deep, and cover it with the 
sashes for two or three days. Then stir the soil, and sow 
the seeds in shallow drills, placing sticks by them, to mark 
the different kinds. Keep the frame covered with the glass 
whenever it is cold enough to chill the plants; but at all 



350 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

other times admit fresh air, which is indispensable to their 
health. When the sun is quite warm, raise the glasses 
enough to admit air, and cover them with matting or blank- 
ets, or else the sun may kill the young plants. Water the 
bed at evening with water which has stood all day, or, if it 
be fresh drawn, add a little w^arm water. If there be too 
much heat in the bed, so as to scorch or wither the plants, 
lift the sashes, water freely, shade by day ; make deep holes 
with stakes, and fill them up w^hen the heat is reduced. In 
very cold nights, cover the sashes and frame with straw-mats. 

For Planting Flower Seeds. — Break up the soil till it is 
very soft, and free from lumps. Rub that nearest the sur- 
face between the hands, to make it fine. Make a circular 
drill a foot in diameter. Seeds are to be planted either 
deeper or nearer the surface, according to their size. For 
seeds as large as sweet peas, the drill should be half an inch 
deep. The smallest seeds must be planted very near the 
surface, and a very little fine earth be sifted over them. Af- 
ter covering them with soil, beat them down with a trowel, 
so as to make the earth as compact as it is after a heavy 
shower. Set up a stick in the middle of the circle, with the 
name of the plant heavily written upon it with a dark lead- 
pencil. This remains more permanent if white-lead be first 
rubbed over the surface. Never plant when the soil is very 
wet. In very dry times, water the seeds at night. Never use 
very cold water. When the seeds are small, many should 
be planted together, that they may assist each other in 
breaking the soil. When the plants are an inch high, thin 
them out, leaving only one or two, if the plant be a large 
one like the balsam ; five or six, when it is of a medium size ; 
and eighteen or twenty of the smaller size. Transplanting, 
unless the plant be lifted with a ball of earth, retards the 
growth about a fortnight. It is best to plant at two differ- 
erent times, lest the first planting should fail, owing to wet 
or cold weather. 

To plant Garden Seeds, make the beds from one to three 
yards wide ; lay across them a board a foot wide, and with 
a stick make a furrow on each side of it, one inch deep. 
Scatter the seeds in this furrow, and cover them. Then lay 



THE CARE OF YAKDS AXD GARDENS. 351 

the board over them, and step on it, to press down the earth. 
When the plants are an inch high, thin them out, leaving 
spaces proportioned to their sizes. Seeds of similar species, 
such as melons and squashes, should not be j)lanted very- 
near to each othei*, as this causes them to degenerate. The 
same kinds of vegetables should not be planted in the same 
place for two years in succession. The longer the rows are, 
the easier is the after-culture. 

Transplanting should be done at evening, or, which is bet- 
ter, just before a shower. Take a round stick sharpened at 
the point, and mate openings to receive the plants. Set 
them a very little deeper than they were before, and press 
the soil firmly round them. Then Avater them, and cover 
them for three or four days, taking care that sufiicient air be 
admitted. If the plant can be removed without disturbing 
the soil around the root, it will not be at all retarded by 
transplanting. Never remove leaves and branches, unless a 
part of the roots be lost. 

To Re-pot House Plants^ renew the soil every year, soon 
after the time of blossoming. Prepare soil as previously di- 
rected. Loosen the earth from the pot by passing a knife 
around the sides. Turn the plant upside down, and remove 
the pot. Then remove all the matted fibres at the bottom, 
and all the earth, except that which adheres to the roots. 
From woody plants, like roses, shake ofi" all the earth. Take 
the new pot, and put a j)iece of broken earthenware over 
the hole at the bottom, and then, holding the plant in the 
proper position, shake in the earth around it. Then pour in 
water to settle the earth, and heap on fresh soil till the pot 
is even full. Small pots are considered better than large 
ones, as the roots are not so likely to rot from excess of 
moisture. 

In the Laying out of Yards aiid Gardens^ there is room 
for much judgment and taste. In planting trees in a yard, 
they should be arranged in grou23S, and never planted in 
straight lines, nor sprinkled about as solitary trees. The ob- 
ject of this arrangement is to imitate Nature, and secure 
some spots of dense shade and some of clear turf. In yards 
which are covered with turf, beds can be cut out of it, and 



352 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

raised for flowers. A trench should be made around, to pre- 
vent the grass from running on them. These beds can be 
made in the shape of crescents, ovals, or other fanciful 
forms. 

In laying out beds in gardens and yards, a very pretty 
bordering can be made by planting them with common 
flax-seed, in a line about three inches from the edge. This 
can be trimmed with shears, when it grows too high. 

For transplanting Trecs^ the autumn is the best time. 
Take as much of the root as possible, especially the little 
fibres, which should never become dry. If kept long before 
they are set out, put wet moss around them and water them. 
Dig holes larger than the extent of the roots ; let one per- 
son hold the tree in its former position, and another place 
the roots carefully as they were before, cutting off any 
broken or wounded root. JBe careful not to let the tree he 
Qnore than an inch deeper than it teas before. Let the soil 
be soft and well manured; shake the tree as the soil is 
shaken in, that it may mix well among the small fibres. Do 
not tread the earth down, while filling the hole ; but, when 
it is full, raise a slight mound of say four inches deep around 
the stem to hold water, and fill it. Never cut ofl" leaves nor 
branches, unless some of the roots are lost. Tie the trees to 
a stake, and they wuU be more likely to live. Water them 
often. 

The Care of House Plants is a matter of daily attention, 
and well repays all labor expended upon it. The soil of 
house plants should be renewed every year, as previously 
directed. In winter, they should be kept as dry as they 
can be without wilting. Many house plants are injured by 
giving them too much water, when they have little light 
and fresh air. This makes them grow spindling. The more 
fresh air, warmth, and light they have, the more water is 
needed. They ought not to be kept very warm in winter, 
nor exposed to great changes of atmosphere. Forty degrees 
is a proper temperature for plants in winter, when they have 
little sun and air. When plants have become spindling, cut 
off" their heads entirely, and cover the pot in the earth, where 
it has the morning sun only. A new and flourishing head 



THE CARE OP YARDS AND GARDENS. 353 

will spring out. Few house plants can bear the sun at noon. 
When insects infest plants, set them in a closet or under a 
barrel, and burn tobacco under them. The smoke kills any 
insect enveloped in it. When plants are frozen, cold water 
and a gradual restoration of warmth are the best remedies. 
Never use very cold water for plants at any season. 

THE PROPAGATION OF PLANTS. 

This is an occupation requiring much attention and con- 
stant care. Bulbous roots are propagated by offsets ; some 
growing on the top, others around the sides. Many plants 
are propagated by cutting off twigs, and setting them in 
earth, so that two or three eyes are covered. To do this, 
select a side shoot, ten inches long, two inches of it being of 
the preceding year's growth, and the rest the growth of the 
season when it is set. Do this when the sap is running, and 
put a piece of crockery at the bottom of the shoot when it 
is buried. One eye, at least, must be under the soil. Water 
it, and shade it in hot weather. 

Plants are also propagated by layers. To do this, take a 
shoot which comes up near the root, bend it down so as to 
bring several eyes under the soil, leaving the top above- 
ground. If the shoot be cut half through, in a slanting di- 
rection, at one of these eyes, before burying it, the result is 
more certain. Roses, honeysuckles, and many other shrubs 
are readily propagated thus. They will generally take root 
by being simply buried ; but cutting them as here directed 
is the best method. Layers are more certain than cut- 
tings. 

Budding and Grafting^ for all woody plants, are favorite 
methods of propagation. In all such plants there is an outer 
and inner bark, the latter containing the sap vessels, in which 
the nourishment of the tree ascends. The success of graft- 
ing or inoculating consists in so placing the bud or graft 
that the sap vessels of the inner bark shall exactly join those 
of the plant into which they are grafted, so that the sap 
may pass from one into the other. 

The following are directions for budding^ which may be 
performed at any time from July to September : 



354 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



Select a smooth place on the stock into which you are to 
insert the bud. Make a horizontal cut across the rind 
through to the firm wood ; and from the middle of this, 
make a slit downward perpendicularly, an inch or more 
long, through to the wood. Raise the bark of the stock on 

Fig. C4. - each side of 

the perpen- 
dicular cut, 
for the ad- 
mission of 
the bud, as 
is shown in 
the annexed 
cut, (Figure 
64). Then 
take a shoot 
of this year's 
growth, and 
slice from it 
a bud, taking 
an inch be- 
low and an 
inch above 
it, and some 

portion of the wood under it. Then carefully slip off the 
woody part under the bud. Examine whether the eye or 
germ of the bud be perfect. If a little hole apj^ear in that 
part, the bud has lost its root, and another must be selected. 
Insert the bud, so that «, of the bud, shall pass to a, of the 
stock ; then 5, of the bud, must be cut off, to match the cut 
b, in the stock, and fitted exactly to it, as it is this alone 
which insures success. Bind the parts with fresh bass or 
woolen yarn, beginning a little below the bottom of the per- 
j^endicular slit, and winding it closely around every part, 
except just over the eye of the bud, until you arrive above 
the horizontal cut. Do not bind it too tightly, but just suf- 
ficient to exclude air, sun, and wet. This is to be removed 
after the bud is firmly fixed and begins to grow. 

Seed-fruit can be budded into any other seed fruit, and 




THE CARE OF YARDS AND GARDENS. 



355 



Fijr. C5. 



stone-fruit into any other stone-fruit ; but stone and seed 
fruits can not be tlius mingled. 

Rose-bushes can have a variety of kinds budded into the 
same stock. Hardy roots are the best stocks. The branch 
above the bud must be cut off the next March or April af- 
ter the bud is Y>nt in. Apples and pears are more easily 
propagated by ingrafting than by budding. 

Ingrafting is a similar process to budding, with this ad- 
vantage, that it can be performed on large trees ; 
whereas budding can be applied only on small 
ones. The two common kinds of ingrafting are 
whip-grafting and split-grafting. The first kind 
is for young trees, and the other for large ones. 

The time for ingrafting is from May to Octo- 
ber. The cuttings must be taken from horizon- 
tal shoots, between Christmas and March, and 
kept in a damp cellar. In performing the oper- 
ation, cut off in a sloping direction (as seen in 
Fig. 65) the tree or limb to be grafted. Then 
cut ofi* in a corresponding slant the slip to be 
grafted on. Then put them together, so that 
the inner bark of each shall match exactly on 
one side, and tie them firmly together with yel- 
low yarn. It is not essential' that both be of 
equal size ; if the bark of each meet together ex- 
actly on one side, it answers the purpose. But 
the two must not^differ much in size. The slope 
should be an inch and a half, or more, in length. 
After they are tied together, the place should be 
covered with a salve or composition of bees-wax and rosin. 
A mixture of clay and cow-dung will answer the same pur- 
pose. This last must be tied on with a cloth. Grafting is 
more convenient than budding, as grafts can be sent from a 
great distance ; whereas buds must be taken in July or Au- 
gust, from a shoot of the present year's growth, and can not 
be sent to any great distance. 

The next cut (Fig. 66) exhibits the mode called stock- 
grafting ; a being the limb of a large tree, which is sawed 
off and split, and is to be held open by a small wedge till 



356 



THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 



F\s. 6G. 




the grafts are put in. A graft inserted in the limb is shown 
at b, and at c is one not inserted, but designed to be put in 
at d, as two grafts can be put into a large 
stock. In inserting the graft, be careful 
to make the edge of the inner bark of the 
graft meet exactly the edge of the inner 
bark of the stock ; for on this success de- 
pends. After the grafts are put in, the 
wedge must be withdrawn, and the whole 
of the stock be covered with the thick 
salve or composition before mentioned, 
reaching from where the grafts are in- 
serted to the bottom of the slit. Be 
careful not to knock or move the grafts 
after they are put in. 

Pruning is an operation of constant ex- 
ercise, for keeping plants and trees in good condition. The 
folio winfj rules are from a distinsjuished horticulturist: Prune 
off all dead wood, and all the little twigs on the main limbs. 
Retrench branches, so as to give light and ventilation to the 
interior of the tree. Cut out the straight and perpendicular 
shoots which give little or no fruit; while those which are 
most nearly horizontal, and somewhat curving, give fruit abun- 
dantly and of good quality, and should be sustained. Su- 
perfluous and ill-placed buds may be rubbed off at any time ; 
and no buds pushing out after midsummer should be spared. 
In choosing between shoots to»be retained, preserve the low- 
est placed, and on lateral shoots those which are nearest the 
origin. When branches cross each other so as to rub, re- 
move one or the other. Remove all suckers from the roots 
of trees or shrubs. Prune after the sap is in full circulation, 
(except in the case of grapes.) as the wounds then heal best. 
Some think it best to prune before the sap begins to run. 
Pruning-shears, and a pruning-pole, with a chisel at the end, 
can be procured of those who deal in agricultural utensils. 

Thinning is also an important but very delicate operation. 
As it is the oftice of the leaves to absorb nourishment from 
the atmosphere, they should never be removed, except to 
mature the wood or fruit. In doing this, remove such leaves 



THE CAKE OF YARDS AND GARDENS. 357 

as shade the fruit, as soon as it is ready to ripen. To do it 
earlier impairs the growth. Do it gradually at two diifer- 
ent times. Thinning the fruit is important, as tending to in- 
crease its size and flavor, and also to promote the longevity 
of the tree. If the fruit be thickly set, take off one half at 
the time of setting. Revise in June, and then in July, tak- 
ing off all that may be spared. One very large apple to ev- 
ery square foot is a rule that may be a sort of guide in oth- 
er cases. According to this, two hundred large apples 
would be allowed to a tree whose extent is fifteen feet by 
twelve. If any person think this thinning excessive, let 
him try two similar trees, and thin one as directed and leave 
the other unthinned. It will be found that the thinned tree 
will produce an equal weight, and fruit of much finer flavor. 

THE CULTIVATIOX OF FRUIT. 

By a little attention to this matter, a lady with the help 
of her children can obtain a rich abundance of all kinds of 
fruit. The writer has resided in families where little boys 
of eight, ten, and twelve years old amused themselves, under 
the direction of their mother, in planting walnuts, chestnuts, 
and hazelnuts, for future time ; as well as in planting and 
inoculating young fruit-trees of all descriptions. A mother 
who w411 take pains to inspire a love for such pursuits in her 
children, and who will aid and superintend them, will save 
them from many temptations, and at a trifling expense secure 
to them and herself a rich reward in the choicest fruits. The 
information given in this work on this subject may be relied 
on as sanctioned by the most experienced nurserymen. 

The soil for a nursery should be rich, well dug, dressed 
with well-decayed manure, free from weeds, and protected 
from cold winds. Fruit-seeds should be planted in the au- 
tumn^ an inch and a half or two inches deep, in ridges four 
or five feet apart, pressing the earth firmly over the seeds. 
"While growing, they should be thinned out,'leaving the best 
ones a foot and a half apart. The soil should be kept loose, 
soft, and free from w^eeds. They should be inoculated or 
ingrafted when of the size of a pipe-stem ; and in a year af- 
ter this may be 'transplanted to their permanent stand. 



358 THE HOUSEKEEPEK AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

Peach-trees sometimes bear in two years from budding, and 
in four years from planting if well kept. 

In a year after transplanting, take pains to train the head 
ario-ht. Straight upright branches produce gourmands^ or 
twio"S bearing only leaves. The side branches, which are an- 
gular or curved, yield the most fruit. For this reason, the 
limbs should be trained in curves, and perpendicular twigs 
should be cut off if there be need of pruning. The last of 
June is the time for this. Grass should never be allowed 
to o-row within four feet of a large tree, and the soil should 
be kept loose to admit air to the roots. Trees in orchards 
should be twenty-five feet apart. The soil under the top 
soil has much to do with the health of the trees. If it be 
what is called hard-pan^ the trees will deteriorate. Trees 
need to be manured and to have the soil kept open and free 
from weeds. 

Filberts can be raised in any part of this country. 

Figs can be raised in the Middle, Western, and Southern 
States. For this purpose, in the autumn loosen the roots on 
one side, and bend the tree down to the earth on the other ; 
then cover it with a mound of straw, earth, and boards, and 
early in the spring raise it up and cover the roots. 

Currants grow well in any but a wet soil. They are 
propagated by cuttings. The old wood should be thinned 
in the fall and manure be put on. They can be trained into 
small trees. 

Gooseberries are propagated by layers and cuttings. They 
are best when kept from suckers and trained like trees. One- 
third of the old wood should be removed every autumn. 

Raspberries do best when shaded during a part of the day. 
They are propagated by layers, slips, and suckers. There is 
one kind which bears monthly ; but the varieties of this and 
all other fruits are now so numerous that we can easily find 
those which are adapted to the sj)ecial circumstances of the 
case. * 

Strawberries require a light soil and vegetable manure. 
They should be transplanted in April or September, and be 
set eight inches apart, in rows nine inches asunder, and in 
beds which are two feet wide, with narrow alleys between 



THE CAEE OF YAEDS AND GAKDEXS. 359 

them. A part of these plants are non-bearers. These have 
large flowers with showy stamens and high black anthers. 
The hearers have short stamens, a great number of pistils, 
and the flowers are every way less showy. In blossom-time, 
pull out all the non-bearers. Some think it best to leave 
one non-bearer to every twelve bearers, and others pull them 
all out. Many beds never produce any fruit, because all the 
plants in them are non-bearers. Weeds should be kept from 
the vines. When the vines are matted with young jilants, 
the best way is to dig over the beds in cross lines, so as to 
leave some of the plants standing in little squares, while the 
rest are turned under the soil. This should be done over 
a second time in the same year. 

To raise GrajMS^ manure the soil, and keep it soft and free 
from weeds. A gravelly or sandy soil and a south expos- 
ure are best. Transplant the vines in the early spring, or 
better in the fall. Prune them the first year, so as to have 
only two main branches, taking ofi" all other shoots as fast 
as they come. In November, cut ofi* all of these two 
branches except four eyes. The second year, in the spring, 
loosen the earth around the roots, and allow only two branch- 
es to grow, and every month take ofi" all side shoots. When 
they are very strong, preserve only a part, and cut off* the 
rest in the fall. In November, cut off all the two main 
stems except eight eyes. After the second year, no more 
pruning is needed, except to reduce the side shoots, for the 
purpose of increasing the fruit. All the pruning of grapes 
(except nipping side shoots) must be done when the sap is 
not running, or they will bleed to death. Train them on 
poles, or lattices, to expose them to the air and sun. Cover 
tender vines in the autumn. Grapes are propagated by cut- 
tings, layers, and seeds. For cuttings, select in the autumn 
well-ripened wood of the former year, and take five joints 
for each. Bury them till April ; then soak them for some 
hours, and set them out aslant^ so that all the eyes but one 
shall be covered. 

Apples, grapes, and such like fruit can be preserved in 
their natural state by packing them when dry and solid in 
dry sand or sawdust, putting alternate layers of fruit and 



360 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

cotton, sawdust or sand. Some sawdust gives a bad flavor 
to the fruit. * 

Modes of preserving Fruit-Trees. — Heaj^s of ashes or tan- 
ner's bark around peach-trees prevent the attack of the 
worm. The yelloics is a disease of peach-trees, which is 
spread by the pollen of the blossom. When a tree begins 
to turn yellow, take it away with all its roots, before it blos- 
soms again, or it will infect other trees. Planting tansy 
around the roots of fruit-trees is a sure protection against 
worms, as it prevents the moth froin depositing her Qgg. 
Equal quantities of salt and saltpetre, put around the trunk 
of a peach-tree, half a pound to a tree, improve the size and 
flavor of the fruit. Apply this about the first of April; and 
if any trees have worms already in them, put on half the 
quantity in addition in June. To young trees just set out, 
apply one ounce in April, and another in June, close to the 
stem. Sandy soil is best for peaches. 

Apple-trees are preserved from insects by a wash of 
strong lye to the body and limbs, which, if old, should be 
first scraped. Caterpillars should be removed by cutting 
down their nests in a damp day. Boring a hole in a tree 
infested with worms, and filling it with sulphur, wdll often 
drive them off immediately. 

The fire-hlight or hrHlure in pear-trees can be stopped by 
cutting off all the blighted branches. It is supposed by 
some to be owing to an excess of sap, which is remedied by 
diminishing the roots. 

The curcuUo^ which destroys plums and other stone-fruit, 
can be checked only by gathering up all the fruit that 
falls, (which contains their eggs,) and destroying it. The 
canker-ioorm can be checked by applying a bandage around 
the body of the tree, and every evening smearing it w^th 
fresh tar. 



SEWING, CUTTING, AND FITTING. 361 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

SEWING, CUTTING, AND FITTING. 

The customs of the American people are more conformed 
to those principles of the Christian family state which de- 
mand protecting care for the weaker members, than those 
of any other nation. Nowhere is this fact more apparent 
than in the division of labor to the boys and girls of one 
family. The outdoor work, all that is most disagreeable, 
and the heaviest labor, is taken by the boys, while the in- 
door family-work is reserved for the girls. Of this indoor 
labor a part is sedentary, such as sewing, and a part is light 
labor, such as dish-washing, cooking, sweeping, dusting, and 
general care of the house. The laundry gives the hardest 
woman's work ; but this is not daily, nor so severe as the 
outdoor employments of men, while it can be so divided 
among several women, or be so regulated in various ways, 
as never to involve excessive labor. Young women -wash 
and iron, as a daily business, six and eight hours a day, and 
yet continue healthful and cheerful. Such is the distinctive 
construction of woman's form, that labor with the muscles 
of the arms and trunk, such as is demanded in washing and 
ironing, is peculiarly favorable to the perfect development 
and support of the most delicate and most important por- 
tion of her body. 

But while the general arrangements of family labor have 
been conformed to the true Christian principle, there have 
been certain extremes in our customs which it is important 
to remedy. This is often exhibited in houses when the 
members of a family assemble in an evening, and the girls 
all have some useful employment of the hands, while the 
boys look on and do nothing. ^ 

Again, at other times, we see broken locks, windows un- 
glazed, and furniture needing repair, all making necessary a 
kind of work women could easily perform, and yet left neg- 

16 



362 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

lected because the men do not find time or are unskilled for 
the performance. In a country like ours, the emergencies 
of the family state often demand the exchange of the ordi- 
nary labor of men and women. Frequently, in newer settle- 
ments, no servants can be found, while the wife and mother 
is confined by sickness. In such emergencies, skill in per- 
forming woman's w^ork is a great blessing to a man and his 
family. So the soldiers, sailors, engineers, and all roving 
men need the skill of the needle that preserves clothing 
from waste. In our late war, millions would have been 
saved had all the soldiers been taught to sew in their boy- 
hood. 

In this view of the case, industrial schools, to teach both 
boys and girls all the economic skill of the family state, are 
of great importance, and a department for this purpose should 
be connected with every school, especially the public schools, 
where most of the children will earn their own livelihood 
and be exposed to many chances of a roving life. 

Attempts have been made to introduce sewing into pub- 
lic schools, and usually with little or no success, from many 
combining difliculties. One of them arises from the in- 
creased number of classes for this purpose ; which w^ould be 
relieved by having boys taught to sew in the same class 
with girls. Another difficulty has been the providing of 
materials for sewing and the previous cutting and fitting 
needed, which the parents refuse to supply. A method 
which meets these and other difficulties, and which has been 
successfully tried in industrial schools in England, will now 
be described. 

Let a fund be provided by school officers, or by contribu- 
tion, to provide needles, thread, scissors, and thimbles of 
various sizes, and place them in the care of the teacher. 
Let two half-days of the week be devoted to this and other 
industrial employments, giving, as a reward for success in 
careful, neat, and quick accomplishment of the duties, the 
time left beyond that used in the task as holiday hours. 

Let the first lesson be the use of scissors, in cutting 
straight slips of newspaper, thus training the eye and fingers 
to expert measurement and motion. Whoever excels in 



SEWING, CUTTING, AND FITTING. 363 

the performance of the allotted task in less than the allotted 
time is to be rewarded with the time, thus gained, for play. 

Next, let the class cut broad strips of paper, and practice 
doubling them in a hem^ first narrow and then broad. This 
also cultivates the eyes and trains the fingers. 

Then give a lesson to teach the use of the thimble, using 
a needle without thread, and paper slips to set the needle 
through. 

Let the class now have pieces of cheap and thin nn- 
bleached cotton, and cut off from it strips two inches wdde, 
being directed to cut by a thread. At first a thread may be 
drawn to guide the eye. Then, these strips are to be cut 
into pieces five or six inches long, turned dovm and pinched 
to prepare for oversewing, and then put together and hasted 
w^ith a needle and thread, the teacher setting the example. 

This last operation is intended to prepare two strips to 
be sewed together by overseioing. In this operation colored 
thread should be used in order to make the stitches show 
more distinctly. Meantime, the pupil is trained to make 
the stitches equal in depth^ and also at equal distances. 

The teacher is to be provided with a blank book for each 
pupil, and on the first page is to be inscribed, Overseimig. 
Beneath this word is to be fastened a specimen of the stitch, 
as soon as the pupil has attained the degree of excellence 
and accuracy required. 

The next lesson is Heimning. To prepare for this, let 
the scholars first cut, out of newspaper, pieces three inches 
square, and fold a hem on each side till it is even and 
smooth. 

Then the unbleached cotton is to be given to be cut and 
prepared in ihe same way. Finally, the hemming-stitch is 
to be taught, and the child be required to practice till the 
stitches are equal in size and regular in both slant and dis- 
tances. When this is well executed, the specimen is to be 
fastened to another page of the child's book, under the w^ord 
Hemming. In the same w^ay, the various stitches used for 
running up seams, for felling, darning, whipping, button- 
holing, stitching, and gathering, should be taught on small 
pieces of white or unbleached cotton, using colored thread. 



364 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

■ The books in which are fastened the finished specimens of 
sewing should be preserved by the teacher and exhibited at 
the school examinations, as an encouragement to excellence. 
In Eno-land, the ladies of wealth and rank take pains to es- 
tablish and superintend, among the poor, industrial schools 
in which are taught other domestic work as well as sewing ; 
and, as the consequence, their servants and dependents are 
well trained for the duties of their station. It is hoped that 
American ladies will make similar efforts for the children of 
the poorer classes, and employ all their influence to promote 
industrial training in our common schools ; and also, to see 
that instruction in these important matters be given to their 
own daughters, who may become mistresses and directors of 
future homes, or who, in the constantly changing fortunes of 
our land, may need to perform as well as to guide the doing 
of these homely duties. 

It is a mistake to suppose that sewing-machines lessen 
the importance of hand-sewing. All the mending for a fam- 
ily, and much of the altering of clothing and house furniture, 
must be done only by the hand. In all poor families that 
own no machine, and in all cases where persons travel, the 
whole sewing needed must be done by hand. 

It is especially for the benefit of the poor who can not 
have machines, that all the children of our common schools 
should be taught not only to sew, but to mend and to cut 
and fit common garments. Hard-working mothers can not 
teach this art, and the school-teacher is the proper person to 
do it. Nor should this be added to the ordinary severe and 
wearing labor of a teacher, but other less important branches 
should give place to this. It is the constant complaint of 
all who are seeking to help the destitute, that women are 
not trained properly to do any kind of domestic work, and 
there is no w^ay in which philanthropy can be more wise- 
ly exerted than in urging the establishment of industrial 
schools. 

It is the hope of the writer that a day is coming when alt 
women will be made truly independent, by being trained in 
early life to employments by which they can secure a homdl 
and income for themselves, if they do not marry or if they 



I 



SEWING, CUTTING, AND FITTING. 365 

become widows. This is what is done for daughters in Eu- 
ropean countries, and should be done in our own. 

Institutions for training women to employments suitable 
for their sex should be established and endowed^ the same as 
agricultural and other professional schools for men. When 
this is done, there will be a liberal prof ession for women of 
culture and refinement, securing to widows and unmarried 
women such advantages as have hitherto been enjoyed only 
by the more favored sex. 



366 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

ACCIDEXTS AND ANTIDOTES. 

Children should be taught the following modes of saving 
life, health, and limbs in cases of sudden emergency, before a 
medical adviser can be summoned. 

In case of a common cut, bind the lips of the wound to- 
gether with a rag, and put on nothing else. If it is large, 
lay narrow strips of sticking-plaster obliquely across the 
w^ound. In some cases it is needful to draw a needle and 
thread through the lips of the wound, and tie the two sides , 
together. 

If an artery be cut, it must be tied as quickly as possible, 
or the person w^ill soon bleed to death. The blood from an 
artery is a brighter red than that from the veins, and spirts 
out in jets at each beat of the heart. Take hold of the end 
of the artery and tie it or hold it tight till a surgeon comes. 
In this case, and in all cases of bad wounds that bleed much, 
tie a tisfht bandasje near and above the wound, insertinor a 
stick into the bandage and twisting as tight as can be borne, 
to stop the immediate effusion of blood. 

Bathe bad bruises in hot w^ater. Arnica-water hastens a 
cure, but is injurious and weakening to the parts when used 
too long and too freely. 

A sprain is relieved from the first pains by hot fomenta- 
tions, or the application of very hot bandages, but entire 
rest is the chief permanent remedy. The more the limb is 
used, especially at first, the longer the time required for the 
small broken fibres to knit together. The sprained leg 
should be kept in a horizontal position. When a leg is 
broken, tie it to the other leg, to keep it still till a surgeon ^ 
comes. Tie a broken arm to a piece of thin wood, to keep 
it still till set. 

In the case of bad burns that take off the skin, creosote- 
water is the best remedy. If this is not at hand, wood-soot 



ACCIDENTS AND ANTIDOTES. 367 

(not coal,) pounded, sifted, and mixed with lard, is nearly as 
good, as such soot contains creosote. When a dressing is 
put on, do not remove it till a skin is formed under it. If 
nothing else is at hand for a bad burn, sprinkle flour over 
the place where the skin is off, and then let it remain, pro- 
tected by a bandage. The chief aim is to keep the part 
without skin from the air. 

In case of drowning, the aim should be to clear the throat, 
mouth, and nostrils, and then produce the natural action of 
the lungs in breathing as soon as possible, at the same time 
removing wet clothes and applying warmth and friction to 
the skin, especially the hands and feet, to start the circula- 
tion. The best mode of cleansing the throat and mouth of 
choking water is to lay the person on the face, and raise the 
head a little, clearing the mouth and nostrils with the finger, 
and then apply hartshorn or camphor to the nose. This is 
safer and surer than a common mode of lifting the body by 
the feet, or rolling on a barrel to empty out the water. 

To start the action of the lungs, first lay the person on 
the face and press the back along the spine to expel all air 
from the lungs. Then turn the body nearly, but not quite 
over on to the back, thus opening the chest so that the air 
will rush in if the mouth is kept open. Then turn the body 
to the face again and expel the air, and then again nearly 
over on to the back ; and so continue for a long time. Fric- 
tion, dry and warm clothing, and warm applications, should 
be used in connection with this process. This is a much bet- 
ter mode than using bellows, which sometimes will close the 
opening to the windpipe. The above is the mode recom- 
mended by Dr. Marshall Hall, and is approved by the best 
medical authorities. 

Certain articles are often kept in the house for cooking or 
medical purposes, and sometimes by mistake are taken in 
quantities that are poisonous. 

Soda, Sale7xitus, Potash, or any other alkali, can be render- 
ed harmless in the stomach by vinegar, tomato-juice, or any 
other acid. If sulphuric or oxalic acid are taken, pounded 
chalk in water is the best antidote. If those are not at 
hand, strong soap-suds have been found efiective. Large 



368 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

quantities of tepid water should be drank after these anti- 
dotes are taken, so as to produce vomiting. 

Lime or baryta and its compounds demand a solution of 
glauber salts or of sulphuric acid. 

Iodine or Iodide of Potassium demands large draughts 
of wheat flour or starch in water, and then vinegar and wa- 
ter. The stomach should then be emptied by vomiting 
with as much tepid water as the stomach can hold. 

Pnissic Acid, a violent poison, is sometimes taken by chil- 
dren in eating the pits of stone-fruits or bitter almonds 
which contain it. The antidote is to empty the stomach by 
an emetic, and give water of ammonia or chloric water. Af- 
fusions of cold water all over the body, followed by warm 
hand friction, is often a remedy alone, but the above should be 
added if at command. Antimony and its compounds demand 
drinks of oak bark, or gall-nuts, or very strong green tea. 

Arsenic demands oil or melted fat, with magnesia or lime 
water in large quantities, till vomiting occurs. 

Corrosive Subliinate, (often used to kill vermin,) and any 
other form of mercury, requires milk or whites of eggs in 
large quantities. The whites of twelve eggs in two quarts 
of water, given in the largest possible draughts every three 
minutes till free vomiting occurs, is a good remedy. Flour 
and water will answer, though not so surely as the above. 
Warm water will help, if nothing else is in reach. The 
same remedy answers when any form of copper, or tin, or 
zinc poison is taken, and also for creosote. 

lead and its compounds require a dilution of Epsom or 
Glauber salts, or some strong acid drink, as lemon or toma- 
toes. 

Nitrate of Silver demands salt water drank till vomiting 
occurs. 

Phosjyhoriis (sometimes taken by children from matches) 
needs magnesia and copious drinks of gum Arabic, or gum- 
water of any sort. 

Alcohol, in dangerous quantities, demands vomiting with 
warm water. 

When one is violently sick from excessive use of tobacco, 
vomiting is a relief, if it arise spontaneously. After that, 



ACCIDENTS, AND ANTIDOTES. 369 

or in case it does not occur, the juice of a lemon and perfect 
rest, in a horizonal position on the back, will relieve the nau- 
sea and faintness, generally soothing the foolish and over- 
wrought patient into a sleep. 

Opium demands a quick emetic. The best is a heaping 
table-spoonful of powdered mustard, in a tumblerful of 
warm water ; or powdered alum in half-ounce doses and 
strong coffee alternately in warm water. Give acid drinks 
after vomiting. If vomiting is not elicited thus, a stomach- 
pump is demanded. Dash cold water on the head, apply fric- 
tion, and use all means to keep the person awake and in motion. 

Strychnia demands also quick emetics. 

The stomach should be emptied always after taking any 
of these antidotes, by a warm-water emetic. 

In case of bleeding at the lungs, or stomach, or throat, 
give a tea-spoonful of dry salt, and repeat it often. For 
bleeding at the nose, put ice or pour cold water on the back 
of the neck, keeping the head elevated. 

If a person be struck with lightning, throw pailfuls of cold 
water on the head and body, and apply mustard poultices 
on the stomach, with friction of the whole body and infla- 
tion of the lungs, as in the case of drowning. The same 
mode is to be used when persons are stupefied by fumes of 
coal or bad air. 

In thunder-storms, shut the doors and windows. The 
safest part of a room is its centre ; and when there is a feath- 
er-bed in the apartment, that will be found the most se- 
cure resting-place. 

A lightning-rod, if it be well pointed, and run deep into 
the earth, is a certain protection to a circle around it whose 
diameter equals the height of the rod above the highest 
chimney. But it protects no farther than this extent. 

In case of fire, w^rap about you a blanket, a shawl, a piece 
of carpet, or any other woolen cloth, to serve as protection. 
Never read in bed, lest you fall asleep, and the bed be set 
on fire. If your clothes get on fire, never run, but lie down, 
and roll about till you can reach a bed or carpet to Avrap 
yourself in, and thus put out the fire. Keep young children 
in woolen dresses, to save them from the risk of fire. 

16* 



370 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HEALTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

ON THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPERTY. 

It is probable that there is no one direction in which con- 
scientious persons suffer so much doubt and perplexity as on 
the right apportionment of time and property. Clear views 
of duty on this subject can be gained only by reference to 
certain facts and principles of mind in connection with cer- 
tain facts revealed by Jesus Christ. 

It is a fact that whenever men notice any method which 
will best secure any end aimed at, they call it right. And so 
the word rights as men ordinarily nse the term, signifies the 
method or rule for securing an end designed. 

It is also a fact that all rational minds are so made as in- 
tuitively to feel or perceive that the end for which all things 
are made is, not to produce enjoyment or happiness of any 
sort or degree, but to produce the best good for all concerned 
both as to quality and amount. 

In proof of this, we find that when any plan or action is 
proposed, and it is shown that on one alternative the hest 
good of both the individual and society is secured, all ra- 
tional minds decide that it is wise and right, and that the 
opposite alternative is foolish and wrong. There are endless 
diversities of opinion as to what is for the best good of indi- 
viduals and society; but all agree that whatever is for the 
best good of all concerned is right. We therefore assume 
that it is an intuitive principle or belief in all rational minds, 
that happiness-making on the best and largest scale is the end 
or purpose for which all things are made. 

We also find ourselves placed in a system of physical, in- 
tellectual, and social laws, by obedience to which happiness 
is gained, and that by disobedience to them happiness is de- 
stroyed. At the same time, the controlling principle of every 
mind is to gain happiness and escape pain or loss of happi- 
ness. This being so, we may assume that to gain the end 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPERTY. 371 

for which we are made, or, in other words, to act right, we 
must obey these laws. 

Again, we find every rational mind so made that it may 
be controlled by some leading desire of ruling purpose to 
which all other desires and purposes are subordinate, and 
that it is the nature of this ruling purpose which constitutes 
moral character. By moral character is meant that which 
results from our own choice instead of that which consists in 
qualities and propensities created by God. This ruling pur- 
pose that controls the mind sometimes, by a figure of speech 
is called the heart, which literally is the organ that controls 
the body. 

Again, we find that in all ages and nations there are some 
men whose ruling purpose and chief desire is to do right, 
and that these persons are called the righteous or the virtu- 
ous men. 

Again, we find that all decisions as to what is best and 
right are regulated by the dangers involved. If one course, 
with equal advantages, is free from danger, and the opposite 
involves danger, all men decide the former to be the right one. 
Thus, all questions of duty as to any course of action are 
regulated by the dangers which threaten ourselves or society. 
As an illustration of this fact, when the life of our nation 
was imperiled, privations, risks, and even death, were some- 
times a duty, when in times of peace and prosperity such 
sacrifices would not be right but highly sinful. 

The general principle thus illustrated is, that the standard 
of right and wrong in all practical affairs is regulated by 
the amount of danger to be met in alternate courses, one 
of which must be chosen. And thus it appears that every 
question of rectitude and duty is modified by circumstances ; 
so that what would be a sin in one case would be a solemn 
duty in another. 

Again, we find that the character of a righteous man is 
dependent on experience and instruction. For a child is 
born in utter ignorance of God's laws, and of his obligation 
to obey them ; and it is only by the slow and gradual proc- 
ess of experience and training that he gains this knowledge. 
Still more is he dependent on educators for motives to excite 



372 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

to obedience. The great want of humanity is right instruc- 
tion as to the laws by which the best good of all is secured, 
and powerful motives to induce obedience to these laws. 

We are now prepared to notice the connection of these 
principles and facts with the facts revealed by Jesus Christ. 
The great and central fact thus made known is, that this life 
is only the beginning of an eternal existence, involving liabil- 
ity to dreadful dangers after death, and that, in estimating 
what is right and wise in character and conduct, we are to 
take into account these dangers, as regulating all questions 
of duty to ourselves and to our fellow-men. Of the nature 
of these dangers, we are informed that those who become 
righteous in this life will secure perpetuity of that character, 
and thus perfect and endless happiness ; but that some will 
so fail that they never will attain this character, either in 
this life or the life to come, and so will forever reap the con- 
sequences of perpetuate and voluntary selfishness and sin. 
Still more momentous is the fiict, that the number who are 
to be saved depends upon the self-denying labors of Christ's 
followers, and that so dreadful are the hazards of the life to 
come, that all consideration of earthly enjoyment should be 
made subordinate to the great end of escape for ourselves 
and for our fellow-men, whom we are to love and care for as 
we do for ourselves. 

These facts and principles enable us clearly to compre- 
hend the great law of rectitude and happiness given by God 
through Moses, and then more clearly explained and illus- 
trated by Jesus Christ. All men are conscious of that in- 
stinctive love which we share in common w^ith the brutes. 
This consists in pleasurable emotions in view of certain per- 
sons or things which afford us pleasure, attended by a desire 
to please those who cause such enjoyment to ourselves, or 
to those we love. Thus the mother, w^hether human or 
brute, feels instinctive love to her offspring ; and thus all 
men feel this instinctive love to those who confer pleasure 
on themselves. 

But Jesus Christ expressly discriminates, and explains that 
the great law of love (which, he says, it is the chief end of 
"the law and the prophets" to inculcate) is the 'voluntary 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AXD PEOPERTY. 373 

love which consists in choosing to do right — that is, to make 
happiness on the best and largest scale. For the law is, 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
thy neighbor as thyself.'''* ISTow self-love consists not in 
pleasurable emotions in our own agreeable qualities, but in 
an instinctive, an all-controlling desire to make self happy. 

Tbis is the principle of mind which gives its true meaning 
to the great law of love, which in this aspect reads thus : 

Thou shalt choose, for the chief end or controlling pur- 
pose, to make happiness on the greatest scale by obeying 
God's laws, and as the way to make him and all his crea- 
tures happy in the highest degree. And for this end you 
are to regard and treat the happiness of all in your reach as 
equal in value to your own. 

This exposition of the great law of love is verified repeat- 
edly in the New Testament : " This is the love of God, that 
ye keep his commandments." 

" He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he 
it is that loveth me." 

" If a man love me, he will keep my words ;" — " he that 
loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." 

" That the w^orld may know that I love the Father, as the 
Father gave me commandment, even so I do." 

We now are prepared to appreciate the new and most 
wonderful revelation ever made to the human race, and one 
which the wisest heathen philosophers never even conjec- 
tured. 

Jesus Christ first revealed to mankind that our Creator is 
a loving Father to the whole human race ; and that such is 
the eternal nature of things, that our highest possible happi- 
ness and escape from endless evil can be accomplished only 
by self-denying sacrifice and sufiering, to save ourselves and 
others ; and that our heavenly Father himself so loves us as 
to encounter such suffering to save us. For whatever views 
men form as to the divinity of Jesus Christ, or how his suf- 
ferings avail to save from danger in the life to come, all will 
concede that he teaches that God is represented as having 
made such a painful sacrifice as a father suffers in seeing a 
dear and lovely and only son subjected to long years of hu- 



374 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

miliation, of painful toils, and to a disgraceful and torturing 
death. And whatever opinions men form as to the nature 
and duration of future retributions, it is clear that Jesus 
Christ teaches that so great are our dangers, that every 
consideration of earthly enjoyment should be subordinate, 
and that our first interest and aim should be to secure es- 
cape to ourselves and our fellow-men. 

And here we should notice that most comforting doctrine 
revealed by Jesus Christ, and that is, that our eternal wel- 
fare does not depend on our judging correctly as to what is 
for the best good of all concerned, both for this life and the 
life to come. On the contrary, we are assured that it is 
having our hearty or chief desire^ set to do right by obeying 
all God's laws as fast as we learn what they are. " Sin is 
the transgression of law," and all men have sinned, and will 
continue to sin, sometimes from ignorance, sometimes from 
the force of temptation swaying from the prevailing desire 
and controlling purpose. And so the righteous men of old- 
en times, though they committed heinous sins, were " men 
after God's own heart," because their "heart" was set to 
obey him in all things. And thus their failures were par- 
doned, and their eternal safety secured. 

The same comforting assurance lessens the anxieties of 
those whose chief aim and desire is to obey Jeaus Christ 
under the new obligations imposed by him. For the "/"m^A" 
which saves our fellow-men both before and after Christ, is 
not the mere intellectual conviction ; for the " devils thus 
believe and tremble." It is rather that faith which includes 
intellectual belief in his teachings, and the voluntary con- 
formity of jDurpose and action to that belief. 

So the ''''repentance'''' required is not mere sorrow for 
wrong-doing, but it consists in such sorrow as includes 
"ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well." 

We now have the general principle which should regulate 
all expenditures both of time and property. And whenever 
any number of persons consistently and practically adopt 
this principle, they will become "a peculiar people." 

The principle is this : The use of property and the use of 
time must be so regulated as to accomplish all in our power ^ 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPERTY. 375 

to save as many as possible from ignorance of God's laws, 
and from disobedience to them. It must, in many cases, be 
difficult to decide as to the most successful way by which 
our time and property will avail to this end. But that this 
should be the first and chief object in all our plans, must be 
conceded by all who accept Jesus Christ as the only author- 
ized teacher of truth and duty. He is the only man who 
has died and returned from the invisible world to tell us of 
our prospects there, and his authority is established by the 
highest evidence of which we can conceive. He is the only 
being authorized by God fully to explain his laws, both as 
to our highest happiness while on earth and our future eter- 
nal welfare. " There is no other name (or person) given un- 
der Heaven " to do this but Jesus Christ. 

Having thus gained the main general principle, we may 
notice some rules to guide us as to the right apportionment 
of time and property. In employing our time, we are to 
make suitable allowance for sleep, for preparing and taking 
food, for securing the means of a livelihood, for intellectual 
improvement, for exercise and amusement, for social enjoy- 
ments, and for benevolent and religious duties. And it is 
the right apportionment of time to these various duties 
which constitutes its true economy. 

In deciding respecting the rectitude of our pursuits, w^e 
are bound to aim at the most practical good as the ultimate 
object. With every duty of this life our benevolent Creator 
has connected some species of enjoyment, to draw us to per- 
form it. Thus the palate is gratified by performing the 
duty of nourishing our bodies ; the principle of curiosity is 
gratified in pursuing useful knowledge; the desire of appro- 
bation is gratified when we perform general social duties; 
and every other duty has an alluring enjoyment connected 
with it. But the great mistake of mankind has consisted in 
seeking the pleasures connected with these duties as the 
sole aim, without reference to the main end that should be 
held in view, and to which the enjoyment should be made 
subservient. Thus, men gratify the palate without refer- 
ence to the question whether the body is properly nour- 
ished ; and follow after knowledge without inquiring wheth- 



376 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

er it ministers to good or evil ; and seek amusements with- 
out reference to the great end to which they should minister. 

In gratifying the implanted desires of our nature, we are 
bound so to restrain ourselves, by reason and conscience, as 
always to seek the main objects of existence — the highest 
good of ourselves and others ; and never to sacrifice this for 
the mere gratification of our desires. We are to gratify ap- 
petite just so far as is consistent with health and useful- 
ness, and the desire for knowledge just so far as will en- 
able us to do most good b}^ our influence and efforts, and 
no further. We are to seek social intercourse to that ex- 
tent which will best promote domestic enjoyment and kind- 
ly feelings among neighbors and friends ; and we are to pur- 
sue exercise and amusement only so far as will best sustain 
the vigor of body and mind. 

The laws of the Supreme Ruler, when he became the civil 
as well as the religious Head of the Jewish theocracy, fur- 
nish an example which it would be well for all attentively 
to consider when forming plans for the apportionment of 
tim$ and property. To properly estimate this example, it 
must be borne in mind that the main object of God Avas to 
set an example of the temporal rewards that follow obedi- 
ence to the laws of the Creator, and at the same time to pre- 
pare religious teachers to extend the more enlarged views 
and duties resulting from the dangers of the future life re- 
vealed by Jesus Christ. 

Before Christ came, the Jews w^ere not required to go forth 
to other nations as teachers of religion, nor were the Jewish 
nation led to obedience by motives of a life to come. To 
them God was revealed both as a Father and a civil ruler, 
and obedience to laws relating solely to this life was all that 
was required. So low were they in the scale of civilization 
and mental development, that a system which confined them 
to one spot as an agricultural people, and prevented their 
growing very rich or having extensive commerce with oth- 
er nations, was indispensable to prevent their relapsing into 
the low idolatries and vices of the nations around them, 
while temporal rewards and penalties were more effective 
than those of a life to come. Such faith in God, his laws, 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPEETY. 377 

and those temjDoral rewards and penalties as secured habitual 
obedience, were all that was required. 

The proportion of time and property which every Jew 
was required to devote to intellectual, benevolent, and re- 
ligious purposes, was as follows : 

In regard to property, they were required to give one- 
tenth of all their yearly income to support the Levites, the 
priests, and the religious service. Next, they were required 
to give the first-fruits of all their corn, wine, oil, and fruits, 
and the first-born of all their cattle, for the Lord's treasury, 
to be employed for the priests, the widow, the fatherless, and 
the stranger. The first-born, also, of their children, were 
the Lord's, and were to be redeemed by a specified sum 
paid into the sacred treasury. Besides this, they were re- 
quired to bring a free-will offering to God every time they 
went up to the three great yearly festivals. In addition to 
this, regular yearly sacrifices of cattle and fowls were re- 
quired of each family, and occasional sacrifices for certain 
sins or ceremonial impurities. In reaping their fields, they 
were required to leave the corners unreaped for the poor ; 
not to glean their fields, olive-yards, or vineyards ; and if a 
sheaf was left by mistake, they were not to return for it but 
leave it for the poor. 

One-twelfth of the people were set apart, having no land- 
ed property, to be priests and teachers ; and the other tribes 
were required to support them liberally. 

In regard to the time taken from secular pursuits for the 
support of education and religion, an equally liberal amount 
was demanded. In the first place, one-seventh part of their 
time was taken for the weekly Sabbath, when no kind of 
work was to be done. Then the whole nation were required 
to meet at the appointed place three times a year, which, in- 
cluding their journeys and stay there, occupied about eight 
weeks, or another seventh j^art of their time. Then the Sab- 
batical year, when no agricultural labor was to be done, took 
another seventh of their time from their regular pursuits, as 
they were an agricultural people. This was the amount of 
time and property demanded by God, simply to sustain edu- 
cation, religion, and morality within the bounds of one nation. 



378 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

It was promised to this nation, and fulfilled by constant 
miraculous interpositions, that in this life obedience to God's 
laws should secure health, peace, prosperity, and long life ; 
while for disobedience was threatened war, pestilence, fam- 
ine, and all temporal evils. These promises were constantly 
verified ; and in the day of Solomon, when this nation was 
most obedient, the whole world was moved with wonder at 
its wealth and prosperity. But up to this time, no attempt 
was made by God to enlarge the obligations and motives 
by revelations as to the future life. 

But " when the fullness of time had come," and the race 
of man was prepared to receive higher responsibilities, Jesus 
Christ came and "brought life and immortality to light" 
with a clearness never before revealed, and new and heavy 
responsibilities consequent on the dangers of the life to 
come. At the same time was revealed the fatherhood of 
God, not to the Jews alone, but to the whole human race, 
and the consequent brotherhood of man ; and these revela- 
tions in many respects changed the whole standard of duty 
and obligation. 

Christ came as " God manifest in the flesh," to set an ex- 
ample of self sacrificing love, in rescuing the whole family 
of man from the dangers of the unseen world, and also to 
teach and train his disciples through all time to follow his 
example. And those who conform the most consistently to 
his teachings and example will aim at a standard of labor 
and self-denial far beyond that demanded of the Jews. 

It is not always that men understand the economy of 
Providence in that unequal distribution of property which, 
even under the most perfect form of government, will always 
exist. Many, looking at the present state of things, imagine 
that the rich, if they acted in strict conformity to the law 
of benevolence, would share all their property with their 
sufiering fellow-men. But such do not take into account 
the inspired declaration that " a man's life consisteth not in 
the abundance of the things which he possesseth ;" or, in 
other words, life is made valuable not by great possessions, 
but by such a character as prepares a man to enjoy what he 
holds. God perceives that human character can be most 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PKOPEKTY. 379 

improved by that kind of discipline which exists when there 
is something vahiable to be gained by industrious efforts. 
This stimulus to industry could never exist in a community 
where all are just alike, as it does in a state of society where 
every man sees possessed by others enjoyments which he 
desires, and may secure by effort and industry. So, in a 
community where all are alike as to property, there would 
be no chance to gain that noblest of all attainments^ a habit 
of self-denying benevolence which toils for the good of 
others, and takes from one's own store to increase the enjoy- 
ments of another. 

Instead, then, of the stagnation, both of industry and of 
benevolence, which would follow the universal and equable 
distribution of property, some men, by superior advantages 
of birth, or intellect, or patronage, come into possession of a 
great amount of capital. With these means they are en- 
abled, by study, reading, and travel, to secure expansion of 
mind, and just views of the relative advantages of moral, 
intellectual, and physical enjoyments. At the same time, 
Christianity imposes obligations corresponding with the in- 
crease of advantages and means. The rich are not at liber- 
ty to spend their treasures chiefly for themselves. Their 
wealth is given by God, to be employed for the best good 
of mankind; and their intellectual advantages are designed, 
primarily, to enable them to judge correctly in employing 
their means most wisely for the general good. 

Now suppose a man of wealth inlrerits ten thousand acres 
of real estate ; it is not his duty to divide it among^ his poor 
neighbors and tenants. If he took this course, it is probable 
that most of them would spend all in thriftless waste and 
indolence, or in mere physical enjoyments. Instead, then, 
of thus putting his capital out of his hands, he is bound to 
retain and so to employ it as to raise his family and his 
neighbors to such a state of virtue and intelligence that they 
can secure far more, by their own efforts and industry, than 
he, by dividing his capital, could bestow upon them. 

In this view of the subject, it is manifest that the unequal 
distribution of j^roperty is no evil. The great difficulty is, 
that so large a portion of those who hold much capital, in- 



380 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

stead of using their various advantages for the greatest good 
of those around them, employ them chiefly for selfish indul- 
gences — thus inflicting as much mischief on themselves as 
results to others from their culpable neglect. A great por- 
tion of the rich seem to be acting on the principle that the 
more God bestows on them the less are they under obliga- 
tion to practice any self-denial in fulfilling his benevolent 
plan of raising our race to intelligence and virtue, and thus 
to eternal happiness after death. 

But there are cheering examples of the contrary spirit and 
prejudice, some of which will be here recorded, to influence 
and encourage others. 

A lady of great wealth, high position, and elegant culture, 
in one of our large cities, hired and furnished a house adja-^ 
cent to her own, and, securing the aid of another benevolent 
and cultivated woman, took twelve orphan girls of diflTerent 
ages, and educated them under their joint care. Not only 
time and money were given, but love and labor, just as if 
these were their own children ; and as fast as one was pro- 
vided for, another was taken. 

In another city, a young lady, with propei'ty of her own, 
hired a house, and made it a home for homeless and unpro- 
tected women, who paid board when they could earn it, and 
found a refuge when out of employment. 

In another city, the wife of one of its richest merchants 
took two young girls from the certain road to ruin among 
the vicious poor. She boarded them with a respectable 
farmer, and sent them to school ; and every week went out, 
not only to supervise them, but to aid in training them to 
habits of neatness, industry, and obedience, just as if they 
were her own children. 

Next she hired a large house near the most degraded part 
of the city, furnished it neatly, and with all suitable conven- 
iences to work, and then rented to those among the most 
degraded whom she could bring to conform to a few simple 
rules of decency, industry, and benevolence — one of these 
rules being that they should pay her the rent every Satur- 
day night. To this motley gathering she became chief coun- 
selor and friend, quieted their brawls, taught them to aid 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PEOPERTY. 381 

each other in trouble or sickness, and strove to introduce 
among them that law of patient love and kindness illustrated 
by her own example. The young girls in this tenement she 
assembled every Saturday at her own house, taught them 
to sing, heard them recite their Sunday-school lessons, to be 
sure these were properly learned ; taught them to make and 
mend their own clothing, trimmed their bonnets, and took 
charge of their Sunday dress, that it might always be in order. 

Of course, such benevolence drew a stream of ignorance 
and misery to her door ; and so successful was her labor, 
that she hired a second house, and managed it on the same 
plan. One hot day in August a friend found her combing 
the head of a poor, ungainly, foreign girl. She had per- 
suaded a friend to take her from compassion, and she was re- 
turned because her head was in such a state. Finding no 
one else to do it, the lady herself bravely met the difficulty, 
and persevered in this daily ministry till the evil was reme- 
died, and the poor girl thus secured a comfortable home and 
wages. 

A young lady of wealth and position, with great musical 
culture and taste, found among the poor two young girls 
with fine voices and great musical talent. Gaining her par- 
ents' consent, the young lady took one of them home, trained 
her in music, and saw that her school education wa^ secured ; 
so that, when expensive masters and instruments were need- 
ed, the girl herself earned the money required, as a govern- 
ess in a family of wealthy friends. Then she aided the sis- 
ter; and, as the result, one of them is married happily to a 
man of great wealth, and the other is receiving a large in- 
come as a popular musical artist. 

Another young girl, educated as a fine musician by her 
wealthy parents, at the age of sixteen was afflicted with 
weak eyes and a heart complaint. She strove to solace her- 
self by benevolent ministries. By teaching music to chil- 
dren of wealthy friends, she earned the means to relieve and 
instruct the sufiering, ignorant, and poor. 

These examples may suffice to show that, even among the 
most wealthy, abundant modes of self-denying benevolence 
may be found where there is a heart to seek them. 



382 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

There is no direction in which a true Christian economy 
of time and money is more conspicuous than in the style of 
living adopted in the family state. 

Those who build stately mansions, and'lay out extensive 
grounds, and multiply the elegancies of life, to be enjoyed 
by themselves and a select few, "have their reward" in the 
enjoyments that end in this life. But those who, with equal 
means, adopt a style that enables them largely to devote 
time and wealth to the eternal welfare of their fellow-men,, 
are laying up never-failing treasures in heaven, in the ever- 
lasting virtue, gratitude, and happiness of those they have 
thus saved and blessed. 

By taking Christ as the example, by communion with him, 
and by daily striving to imitate his character and conduct, 
we may form such a temper of mind that " doing good" on 
that highest scale revealed by our Lord will become the 
chief and highest source of enjoyment. And this heavenly 
principle will grow stronger and stronger, until self-denial 
loses the more painful part of its character; and then, to 
save men from sin, and guide them to eternal happiness, will 
be so delightful and absorbing a pursuit, that all exertions 
regarded as the means to this end will be like the joyous 
efforts of men when they strive for a prize or a crown with 
the full hope of success. 

In this view of the subject, efforts and self-denial for the 
good of others are to be regarded not merely as duties en- 
joined for the benefit of others, but as the moral training 
indispensable to the formation of that character on which 
depends our own happiness. This view exhibits the full 
meaning of the Saviour's declaration, "How hardly shall 
they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God !" He 
had before taui^ht that the kin2:dom of heaven consisted not 
in such enjoyments as the worldly seek, but in the temper 
of self-denying benevolence like his own ; and as the rich 
have far greater temptations to indolent self-indulgence, 
they are far less likely to acquire this temper than those 
who, by limited means, are inured to some degree of self- 
denial. 

But on this point one imj^ortant distinction needs to be 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PKOPEKTY. 383 

made ; and that is, between tlie self-denial which has no oth- 
er aim than mere self-mortification, and that which is exer- 
cised to secure greater good to ourselves and others. The 
first is the foundation of monasticism, penances, and all oth- 
er forms of asceticism ; the latter only is that which Chris- 
tianity requires. • 

A second consideration, which may give definiteness to 
this subject, is, that aiming at a perfect character for our- 
selves and for others involves not the extermination of any 
principles of our nature, but rather the regulating of them, 
according to the rules of reason and religion ; so that the 
lower propensities shall always be kept subordinate to no- 
bler principles. Thus w^e are not to aim at destroying our 
appetites, or at needlessly denying them, but rather so to 
regulate them that they shall best secure the objects for 
which they were implanted. We are not to annihilate the 
love of praise and admiration, but so to control it that the 
favor of God shall be regarded more than the estimation of 
men. We are not to extirpate the principle of curiosity,- 
which leads us to acquire knowledge, but so to direct it that 
all our acquisitions shall be useful, and not frivolous or inju- 
rious. And thus with all the principles of the mind. God 
has implanted no desires in our constitution which are evil 
and pernicious. On the contrary, all our constitutional pro- 
pensities, either of mind or body, he designed we should 
gratify, w^henever no evils would thence result either to our- 
selves or others. Such passions as envy, selfish ambition, 
contemptuous pride, revenge, and hatred, are to be extermi- 
nated ; for they are either excesses or excrescences, not cre- 
ated by God, but rather the result of our own neglect to 
form habits of benevolence and self-control. 

A third consideration is that, though the means for sus- 
taining life and health are to be regarded as necessaries, 
without which no other duties can be performed, yet a very 
i large portion of the time spent by most persons in easy cir- 
cumstances for food, raiment, and dwellings, is for mere sii- 
2MrJlidties ; which are right when they do not involve the 
sacrifice of higher interests, and wrong when they do. Life 
and health can be sustained in the humblest dwellings, with 



384 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

the plainest dress and the simplest food; and after taking 
from our means what is necessary for life and health, the re- 
mainder is to be so divided that the larger portion shall be 
given to supply the moral and intellectual wants of our- 
selves and others. 

There are many so dependent on parents or husbands, as 
to suffer perplexity as to their own duty on this account. 
In reference to these difficulties, the first remark is, that we 
are never under obligations to do what is entirely out of our 
power; so that those persons who can not regulate their ex- 
penses or their charities are under no sort of obligation to 
do so. The second remark is, that, w^hen a rule of duty is 
discovered, if we can not fully attain to it, we are bound to 
ahn at it, and to fulfill it just so far as we can. We have 
no right to throw it aside because we shall find some diffi- 
cult .cases when we come to apply it. The third remark is, 
that no person can tell how much can be done till a faithful 
trial has been made. If a woman has never kept any ac- 
<;ounts, nor attempted to regulate her expenditures by the 
right rule, nor used her influence with those that control her 
plans, to secure this object, she has no right to say how much 
she can or can not do till after a fair trial has been made. 

Is it objected. How can we decide between superfluities 
I and necessities ? It is replied, that we are not required to 
judge exactly in all cases. Our duty is to use the means in 
our power to assist us in forming a correct judgment; to 
seek the Divine aid in freeing our minds from indolence and 
selfishness; and then to judge as well as we can in our en- 
deavors rightly to apportion and regulate our expenses. 
Many persons seem to feel that they are bound to do better 
than they know how. But God is not so hard a master; 
and after we have used all proper means to learn the right 
way, if we then follow it according to our ability, we do 
wrong to feel misgivings, or to blame ourselves, if results 
come out differently from what seems desirable. 

The results of our actions alone can never prove us de- 
serving of blame. For men are often so placed that, owing 
to lack of intellect or means, it is impossible for them to de- 
cide correctly. To use all the means of knowledge within 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PROPEETY. 385 

our reach, to seek Divine guidance by prayer, and then to 
judge with a candid and conscientious spirit, is all that God 
requires; and. when we have done this, and the event seems 
to come out so as to seem unfortunate, we should never wish 
that we had decided otherwise ; for this would be the same 
as wishing that we had not followed the dictates of judg- 
ment and conscience. As this is a world designed for dis- 
cipline and trial, what seem untoward events are never to 
be construed as indications of the obliquity of our past de- 
cisions. 

In making an examination on this subject, it is sometimes 
the case that a woman will count among the necessaries of 
life all the various modes of adorning the person or house 
practiced in the circle in which she moves; and after enu- 
merating the many duties which demand attention, counting 
these as a part, she will come to the conclusion that she has 
no time, and but little money, to devote to personal im- 
provement or to benevolent enterprises. This surely is not 
in agreement with the requirements of the Saviour, who calls 
on us to seek for others as well as ourselves, ^rs^ q/'a?^, "the 
kinsjdom of God and his riorhteousness." 

In order to act in accordance with the rule here presented, 
it is true that many would be obliged to give up the idea of 
conforming to the notions and customs of those with whom 
they associate, and compelled to adopt the maxim, "Be not 
conformed to this world." In many cases it would involve 
an entire change in the style of living. And the writer has 
the happiness of knowing more cases than one where per- 
sons who have come to similar views on this subject have 
given up large and expensive establishments, that they might 
keep a pure conscience, and regulate their charities more ac- 
cording to the requirements of Christianity. 

In deciding what particular objects shall receive our ben- 
efactions, there are also general principles to guide us. The 
first is that presented by our Saviour, when, after urging 
the great law of benevolence, he was asked, "And who is 
my neighbor ?" His reply, in the parable of " the Good 
Samaritan," teaches us that any human being whose wants 
are brought to our knowledge is our neighbor. - Thawound- 

17 



386 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

ed man in that parable was not only a stranger, but he be- 
longed to a foreign nation, peculiarly hated ; and he had no 
claim, except that his wants were brought to the knowledge 
of the wayfaring man. From this we learn that the desti- 
tute of all nations become our neighbors as soon as their 
wants are brought to our knowledge. 

Another general principle is this : that those who are 
most in need must be relieved in preference to those who 
are less destitute. On this principle it is that we think the 
followers of Christ should give more to supply those who 
are suffering for want of the bread of eternal life, than for 
those who are deprived of physical enjoyments. And an- 
other reason for this preference is the fact that many who 
give in charity have made such imperfect advances in civil- 
ization and Christianity, that the intellectual and moral 
wants of our race make but a feeble impression on the mind. 
Relate a pitiful tale of a family reduced to live for weeks on 
potatoes only, and many a mind would awake to deep sym- 
pathy, and stretch forth the hand of charity. But describe 
cases where the immortal mind is pining in stupidity and 
ignorance, or racked with the fever of baleful passions, and 
how small the number so elevated in sentiment and so en- 
larged in their views as to appreciate and sympathize in 
these far greater misfortunes ! The intellectual and moral 
wants of our fellow-men, therefore, should claim the iirst 
place in Christian attention, both because they are most im- 
portant, and because they are most neglected ; while it should 
not be forgotten, in giving personal attention to the wants 
of the poor, that the relief of immediate physical distress is 
often the easiest way of touching the moral sensibilities of 
the destitute. 

Another consideration to be borne in mind is, that in this 
country there is much less real need of charity in supplying 
physical necessities than is generally supposed by those who 
have not learned the more excellent way. This land is so 
abundant in supplies, and labor is in such demand, that ev- 
ery healthy person can earn a comfortable support ; and if 
all the poor were instantly made virtuous, it is probable that 
there would be few physical wants which could not readily 



THE RIGHT USE OF TIME AXD PROPERTY. 387 

« 

be supplied by the immediate friends of each sufferer. The 
sick, the aged, and the orphan would be the only objects 
of charity. In this view of the case, the primary effort in 
relieving the poor should be to furnish them the means of 
earning their own support, and to supply them with those 
moral influences which are most effectual in securino- virtue 
and industry. 

Another point to be attended to is the importance of 
maintaining a system of associated charities. There is no 
point in which the economy of charity has more improved, 
than in tlie present mode of combining many small contri- 
butions for sustaining enlarged and systematic plans of 
charity. If all tlie half-dollars which are now contributed 
to aid in organized systems of charity were returned to the 
donors, to be applied by the agency and discretion of each, 
thousands and thousands of the treasures now employed to 
promote the moral and intellectual wants of mankind would 
become entirely useless. In a democracy like ours, where 
few are very rich and the majority are in comfortable cir- 
cumstances, this collecting and dispensing of drops and rills 
is the mode by which, in imitation of nature, the dews and 
showers are to distill on parched and desert lands. And 
every person, while earning a pittance to unite with many 
more, may be cheered with the consciousness of sustaining a 
grand system of operations which must have the most de- 
cided influence in raising all mankind to that perfect state 
of society which Christianity is designed to accomplish. 

Another consideration relates to the indiscriminate be- 
stowal of charity. Persons who have taken pains to inform 
themselves, and who devote their whole time to dispensing 
charities, unite in declaring that this is one of the most fruit- 
ful sources of indolence, vice, and poverty. From several of 
these the writer has learned that, by their own personal in- 
vestigations, they have ascertained that there are large es- 
tablishments of idle and wicked persons in most of our cit- 
ies, who associate together to support themselves by every 
species of imposition. They hire large houses, and live in 
constant riotingf on the means thus obtained. Amono; them 
are women who have or who hire the use of infant children; 



o88 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

others, who are blind, or maimed, or deformed, or who can 
adroitly feign such infirmities ; and by these means of ex- 
citing pity, and by artful tales of woe, they collect alms, 
both in city and country, to spend in all manner of gross and 
guilty indulgences. Meantime many persons, finding them- 
selves often duped by impostors, refuse to give at all ; and 
thus many benefactions are withdrawn, which a wise econo- 
my in charity would have secured. For this and other rea- 
sons, it is wise and merciful to adopt the general rule, never 
to give alms till we have had some opportunity of knowing 
how they will be spent. There are exceptions to this, as to 
every general rule, which a person of discretion can deter- 
mine. But the practice so common among benevolent per- 
sons of giving at least a trifle to all who ask, lest perchance 
they may turn away some who are really sufferers, is one 
which causes more sin and misery than it cures. 

The writer has never known any system for dispensing 
charity more successful than the one by which a town or 
city is divided into districts, and each district is committed 
to the care of two ladies, whose duty it is to call on each 
family and leave a book for a child, or do some other deed 
of neighborly kindness, and make that the occasion for enter- 
in gj into conversation and learninsj the situation of all resi- 
dents in the district. By this method the ignorant, the vi- 
cious, and the poor are discovered, and their physical, intel- 
lectual, and moral wants are investigated. In some places 
where the writer has known this mode pursued, each person 
retained the same district year after year ; so that every 
poor family in the place was under the watch and care of 
some intelligent and benevolent lady, who used all her influ- 
ence to secure a proper education for the children, to furnish 
them with suitable reading, to encourage habits of industry 
and economy, and to secure regular attendance on public 
religious instruction. Thus the rich and the poor were 
brought in contact in a way advantageous to both parties ; 
and if such a system could be universally adopted, more 
would be done for the prevention of poverty and vice than 
all the wealth of the nation could avail for their relief. But 
this plan can not be successfully carried out in this manner, 



THE EIGHT USE OF TIME AND PEOPERTY. 389 

unless there is a large proportion of intelligent, benevolent, 
and self-denying persons who unite in a systematic plan. 

But there is one species of "charity" which needs especial 
consideration. It is that spirit of kindly love which induces 
us to refrain from judging of the means and the relative 
charities of other persons. There have been such indistinct 
notions, and so many different standards of duty on this sub- 
ject, that it is rare for two persons to think exactly alike in 
regard to the rule of duty. Each person is bound to inquire 
and judge for himself as to his own duty or deficiencies ; but 
as both the resources and the amount of the actual charities 
of others are beyond our ken, it is as indecorous as it is un- 
charitable to sit in judgment on their decisions. 



390 THE HOUSEKEErER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE CARE OF INFANTS. 

The topic of this chapter may well be prefaced by an ex- 
tract from Herbert Spencer on the treatment of offspring. 
He first supposes that some future philosophic speculator, 
examining the course of education of the present period, 
should find nothing relating to the training of children, and 
that his natural inference would be that our schools were 
all for monastic orders, who have no charge of infancy and 
childhood. He then remarks, " Is it not an astonishing fact 
that, though on the treatment of offspring depend their lives 
or deaths and their moral welfare or ruin, yet that so little 
instruction on the treatment of offspring is ever given to 
those who will hereafter be parents? Is it not monstrous 
that the fate of a new generation should be left to the 
chances of unreasoning custom, or impulse, or fancy, joined 
with the suggestions of ignorant nurses and the prejudiced 
counsel of grandmothers ? 

" If a merchant should commence business without any 
knowledge of arithmetic or book-keeping, we should exclaim 
at his folly, and look for disastrous consequences. Or if, 
without studying anatomy, a man set up as a surgeon, we 
should w^onder at his audacity, and pity his patients. But 
that parents should commence the difficult work of rearing 
children without giving earnest attention to the principles, 
physical, moral, or intellectual, which ought to guide them, 
excites neither surprise at the actors nor pity for the vic- 
tims. 

" To tens of thousands that are killed add hundreds of 
thousands that survive with feeble constitutions, and millions 
not so strong as they should be ; and you will have some 
idea of the curse inflicted on their offspring by parents ig- 
norant of the laws of life. Do but consider for a moment 
that the regimen to which children are subject is hourly 



THE CAEE OF INFANTS. 391 

telling upon them to their life-long injury or benefit, and 
that there are twenty ways of going wrong to one way of 
going right, and you will get some idea of the enormous 
mischief that is almost everywhere inflicted by the thought- 
less, hap-hazard system in common use. 

" When sons and daughters grow up sickly and feeble, 
parents commonly regard the event as a visitation of Provi- 
dence. They assume that these evils come without cause, 
or that the cause is supernatural. Nothing of the kind. In 
some cases causes are inherited, but in most cases foolish 
management is the cause. Very generally parents them- 
selves are responsible for this pain, this debility, this de- 
pression, this misery. They have undertaken to control the 
lives of their offspring, and with cruel carelessness have 
neglected to learn those vital processes which they are daily 
affecting by their commands and prohibitions. In utter ig- 
norance of the simplest physiological laws, they have been, 
year by year, undermining the constitutions of their children, 
and so have inflicted disease and premature death, not only 
on them but also on their descendants. 

"Equally great are the ignorance and consequent injury, 
when we turn from the physical to the moral training. Con- 
sider the young, untaught mother and her nursery legisla- 
tion. A short time ago she w^as at school, where her memo- 
ry was crammed with words and names and dates, and her 
reflective faculties scarcely in the slightest degree exercised 
— where not one idea was given her respecting the methods 
of dealing with the opening mind of childhood, and w4iere 
her discipline did not in the least fit her for thinking out 
methods of her own. The intervening years have been spent 
in practicing music, fancy- w^ork, novel -reading, and party- 
going, no thought having been given to the grave responsi- 
bilities of maternity, and scarcely any of that solid intellect- 
ual culture obtained which would fit her for such responsi- 
bilities ; and now see her with an unfolding human character 
committed to her charge, see her profoundly ignorant of the 
phenomena with which she has to deal, undertaking to do 
that which can be done but imperfectly even with the aid 
of the profoundest knowledge !" 



392 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

In view of such considerations, every young lady ought 
to learn how to take proper care of an infant ; for, even if 
she is never to become the responsible guardian of a nursery, 
she will often be in situations where she can render benevo- 
lent aid to others in this most fatiguing and anxious duty. 

The writer has known instances in which young ladies, 
who had been trained by their mothers properly to perform 
this duty, were in some cases the means of saving the lives 
of infants, and in others, of relieving sick mothers from in- 
tolerable care and anguish by their benevolent aid. 

On this point Dr. Combe remarks: "All women are not 
destined, in the course of nature, to become mothers ; but 
how very small is the number of those who are unconnected, 
by family ties, friendship, or sympathy, with the children of 
others ! How very few are there who, at some time or oth- 
er of their lives, would not find their usefulness and happi- 
ness increased, by the possession of a kind of knowledge inti- 
mately allied to their best feelings and afiections ! And how 
important is it to the mother herself, that her efibrts should 
be seconded by intelligent instead of ignorant assistants!" 

In order to be prepared for such benevolent ministries, 
every young lady should improve the opportunity, when- 
ever }t is afforded her, for learning how to wash, dress, and 
tend a young infant ; and w henever she meets with such a 
work as Dr. Combe's, on the management of infants, she 
ought to read it, and remertiber its contents. 

The directions that follow have been taken from standard 
medical writers, or have been examined and approved by 
the highest class of physicians, and also by judicious and ex- 
perienced mothers. 

Says Dr. Combe : " Nearly one half of the deaths occur- 
ring during the first two years of existence are ascribable 
to mismanagement, and to errors in diet. At birth, the 
stomach is feeble, and as yet unaccustomed to food ; its 
cravings are consequently easily satisfied, and frequently re- 
newed." "At that early age, there ought to be no fixed 
time for giving nourishment. The stomach can not be thus 
satisfied." " The active call of the infant is a sign, which 
needs never be mistaken." 



THE CARE OF INFANTS. 393 

"Bat care must be taken to determine between the cry- 
ing of pain or uneasiness, and the call for food ; and the 
practice of giving an infant food to stop its cries is often 
the means of increasinsf its suffering's. After a child has 
satisfied its hunger, from two to four hours, according to the 
age, should intervene before another supply is given. 

"At birth, the stomach and bowels, never having been 
used, contain a quantity of mucous secretion, which requires 
to be removed. To effect this, Nature has rendered the first 
portions of the mother's milk purposely watery and laxative. 
Nurses, however, distrusting Nature, often hasten to admin- 
ister some active purgative ; and the consequence often is, 
irritation in the stomach and bowels, not easily subdued." 
It is only where the child is deprived of its mother's milk, as 
the first food, that some gentle laxative should be given. 

" It is a common mistake to suppose that because a wom- 
an is nursing, she ought to live very fully, and to add an al- 
lowance of wine, porter, or other fermented liquor, to her 
usual diet. The only result of this plan is, to cause an un- 
natural fullness in the system, which places the nurse on the 
brink of disease, and retards rather than increases the food 
of the infant. More will be gained by the observance of 
the ordinary laws of health than by any foolish deviation, 
founded on ignorance." 

There is no point on which medical men so emphatically 
lift the voice of warning as in reference to administering 
medicines to infants. It is so difficult to discover what is 
the matter with an infant, its frame is so delicate and so sus- 
ceptible, and slight causes have such a powerful influence, 
that it requires the utmost skill and judgment to ascertain 
what would be proper medicines, and the proper quantity 
to be given. 

Says Dr. Combe : " That there are cases in which active 
means must be promptly used to save the child, is perfect- 
ly true. But it is not less certain that these are cases of 
which no mother or nurse ought to attempt the treatment. 
As a general rule, where the child is well managed, medi- 
cine of any kind is very rarely required ; and if disease 
were more generally regarded in its true light, not as sorae- 



394 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

thing thrust into the system, which requires to be expelled 
by force, but as an aberration from a natural mode of action, 
produced by some external cause, we should be in less haste 
to attack it by medicine, and more watchful in its preven- 
tion. Accordingly, where a constant demand for medicine 
exists in a nursery, the mother may rest assured that there 
is something essentially wrong in the treatment of her chil- 
dren. 

"Much havoc is made among infants by the abuse of 
medicines, which procure momentary relief but end by pro- 
ducing incurable disease ; and it has often excited my as- 
tonishment to see how recklessly remedies of this kind are 
had recourse to, on the most trifling occasions, by mothers 
and nurses, who would be horrified if they knew the nature 
of the power they are wielding, and the extent of injury 
they are inflicting." 

Instead, then, of depending on medicine for the preserva- 
tion of the health and life of an infant, the following precau- 
tions and preventives should be adopted : 

"Take particular care of the food of an infant. If it is 
nourished by the mother, her own diet should be simple, 
nourishing, and temperate. If the child be brought up * by 
hand,' the milk of a new milch-cow, mixed with one-third 
water, and sweetened a little with white sugar, should be the 
only food given, until the teeth come. This is more suita- 
ble than any preparations of flour or arrowroot, the nourish- 
ment of which is too highly concentrated. Never give a 
child hread^ cake^ or meat, before the teeth appear. If the 
food appear to distress the child after eating, first ascertain 
if the milk be really from a new milch-cow, as it may oth- 
erwise be too old. Learn, also, whether the cow lives on 
proper food. Cows that are fed on still-slops, as is often the 
case in cities, furnish milk which is very unhealthful." 

Be sure and keep a good supply of pure and fresh air in 
the nursery. On this point Dr. Bell remarks, respecting 
rooms constructed without fire-places and without doors or 
windows to let in pure air from without, " The sufierings of 
children of feeble constitutions are increased beyond meas- 
ure by such lodgings as these. An action, brought by the 



THE CARE OF INFAXTS. 395 

commonwealth, ought to lie against those persons who build 
houses for sale or rent, in which rooms are so constructed as 
not to allow of free ventilation ; and a writ of lunacy taken 
out against those who, with the common-sense experience 
which all have on this head, should spend any portion of 
their time, still more, should sleep, in rooms thus nearly air- 
tight." 

After it is a month or two old, take an infant out to walk, 
or ride, in a little wagon, every fair and warm day ; but be 
very careful that its feet, and every part of its body, are 
kept warm ; and be sure that its eyes are well protected 
from the light. Weak eyes, and sometimes blindness, are 
caused by neglecting this precaution. Keep the head of an 
infant cool, never allowing too warm bonnets, nor permit- 
ting it to sink into soft pillows when asleep. Keeping an 
infant's head too warm very much increases nervous irrita- 
bility, and this is the reason why medical men forbid the 
use of caps for infants. But the head of an infant should, 
especially while sleeping, be protected from draughts of air, 
and from getting cold. 

Be very careful of the skin of an infant, as nothing tends 
so effectually to prevent disease. For this end, it should be 
washed all over every morning, and then gentle friction 
should be applied with the hand, to the back, stomach, bow- 
els, and limbs. The head should be thoroughly w^ashed ev- 
ery day, and then brushed with a soft hair-brush, or combed 
w4th a fine comb. If, by neglect, dirt accumulates under 
the hair, apply with the finger the yelk of an egg, and then 
the fine comb will remove it all without any trouble. 

Dress the infant so that it will be always warm, but not 
so as to cause perspiration. Be sure and keep its feet al- 
ways warm ; and for this often warm them at a fire, and use 
long dresses. Keep the neck and arms covered. For tbis 
purpose, wrappers, open in front, made high in the neck, with 
long sleeves, to put on over the frock, are now very fashion- 
able. 

It is better for both mother and child, that it should not 
sleep on the mother's arm at night, unless the weather be 
extremely cold. This practice keeps the child too warm, 



396 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

and leads it to seek food too frequently. A child should 
ordinarily take nourishment but once or twice in the night. 
A crib beside the mother, with plenty of warm and light 
covering, is best for the child ; but the mother must be sure 
that it is always kept w^arm. 

Never cover a child's head so that it wdll inhale the air 
of its own lungs. In very warm weather, especially in cit- 
ies, great pains should be taken to find fresh and cool air by 
rides and sailing. Walks in a public square in the cool of 
the morning, and frequent excursions in ferry or steamboats, 
would often save a long bill for medical attendance. In hot 
nights, the windows should be kept open, and the infant laid 
on a mattress, or on folded blankets. A bit of straw mat- 
ting, laid over a feather-bed and covered with the under 
sheet, makes a very cool bed for an infant. 

Cool bathing, in hot weather, is very useful ; but the 
water should be very little cooler than the skin of the child. 
When the constitution is delicate, the water should be 
slightly warmed. Simply sponging the body freely in a 
tub, answers the same purpose as a regular bath. In very 
warm weather this should be done two or three times a day, 
always waiting two or three hours after food has been given. 

" When the stomach is peculiarly irritable, (from teeth- 
ing,) it is of paramount necessity to withhold all the nos- 
trums which have been so falsely lauded as * sovereign cures 
for cholera infantum.'* The true restoratives for a child 
threatened with disease are cool air, cool bathing, and cool 
drinks of simple water, in addition to proper food, at stated 
intervals." 

In many cases, change of air from sea to mountain, or the 
reverse, has an immediate healthful influence and is superior 
to every other treatment. Do not take the advice of moth- 
ers who tell of this, that, and the other thing, which have 
proved excellent remedies in their experience. Children 
have different constitutions, and there are multitudes of dif- 
ferent causes for their sickness ; and what might cure one 
child, might kill another which appeared to have the same 
complaint. A mother should go on the general rule of giv- 
ing an infant very little medicine, and then only by the di- 



THE CAKE OF INFANTS. 397 

rection of a discreet and experienced physician. And there 
are cases when, according to the views of the most distin- 
guished and competent practitioners, physicians themselves 
are much too free in using medicines, instead of adopting 
preventive measures. 

Do not allow a child to form such habits that it will not 
be quiet unless tended and amused. A healthy child should 
be accustomed to lie or sit in its cradle much of the time ; 
but it should occasionally be taken up and tossed, or carried 
about for exercise and amusement. An infant should be 
encouraged to creep, as an exercise very strengthening and 
useful. If the mother fears the soiling of its nice dresses, 
she can keep a long slip or apron which will entirely cover 
the dress, and can be removed when the child is taken in 
the arms. A child should not be allowed, when quite 
young, to bear its weight on its feet very long at a time, as 
this tends to weaken and distort the limbs. 

Many mothers, with a little painstaking, succeed in put- 
ting their infants into their cradle while awake, at regular 
hours for sleep; and induce regularity in other habits, which 
saves much trouble. During this training process a child 
may cry, at first, a great deal; but, for a healthy child, this 
use of the lungs does no harm, and tends rather to strengthen 
than to injure them, unless it becomes exceedingly violent. 
A child who is trained to lie or sit and amuse itself, is hap- 
pier than one who is carried and tended a great deal, and 
thus rendered restless and uneasy when not so indulged. 

The most critical period in the life of an infant is that of 
dentition or teething, especially at the early stages. An 
adult has thirty-two teeth, but young children have only 
twenty, which gradually loosen and are followed by the 
permanent teeth. When the child has ten teeth on each 
jaw, all that are added are the permanent set, which should 
be carefully perserved ; this caution is needful, as sometimes 
decay in the first double teeth of the second set are supposed 
to be of the transient set, and are so neglected, or are re- 
moved instead of being preserved by plugging. When the 
first teeth rise so as to press against the gums, there is al- 
ways more or less inflammation, causing nervous fretfulness. 



398 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

send the impulse to put every thing into the mouth. Usual- 
ly there is disturbed sleep, a slight fever, and greater flow 
of saliva; this is often relieved by letting the child have ice 
to bite, tied in a rag. 

Sometimes the disorder of the mouth extends to the whole 
system. In difficult teething, one symptom is the jerking 
back of the head when taking the breath, as if in pain, owing 
to the extreme soreness of the gums. This is, in extreme 
cases, attended with increased saliva and a gummy secretion 
in the corners of the eyes, itching of the nose, redness of 
cheeks, rash, convulsive twitching of lips and the muscles 
generally, fever, constipation, and sometimes by a diarrhea, 
which last is favorable if slight ; difficulty of breathing, di- 
lation of the pupils of the ej^es, restless motion and moan- 
ing ; and finally, if not relieved, convulsions and death. The 
most efiective relief is gained by lancing the gums. Every 
w^oman, and especially every mother, should know the time 
and order in which the infant teeth come, and, when any of 
the above symptoms appear, should examine the mouth, and 
if a gum is swollen and inflamed, should either have a phy- 
sician lance it, or if this can not be done, should perform the 
operation herself A sharp pen-knife and steady hand, mak- 
ing an incision to touch the rising tooth, will cause no more 
pain than a simple scratch of the gum, and usually will give 
speedy relief 

The temporary teeth should not be removed until the new 
ones appear, as it injures the jaw and coming teeth; but as 
soon as a new tooth is seen pressing upward, the temporary 
tooth should be removed, or the new tooth will come out of 
its proper place. If there is not room where the new tooth 
appears, the next temporary tooth must be taken ou.t. 
Great mischief has been done by removing the first teeth 
before the second appear, thus making a contraction of the 
jaw. 

Most trouble with the teeth of young children comes from 
neglect to use the brush to remove the tartar that accumu- 
lates near the gum, causing disease and decay. This dis- 
ease is sometimes called scurvy^ and is shown by an accu- 
mulation around the teeth and by inflamed gums that bleed 



THE CARE OF INFANTS. 399 

easily. Removal of the tartar by a dentist and cleaning the 
teeth after every meal with a brush will usually cure this 
evil, which causes loosening of the teeth and a bad breath. 

Much injury is often done to teeth by using improper 
tooth-powder. The tooth-brush should be used after every 
meal, and floss silk pressed between the teeth to remove food 
lodged there. This method will usually save the teeth from 
decay till old age, and there is no need of tooth-powder. 

When an infant seems ill during the period of dentition, 
the following directions from an experienced physician may 
be of service. It is now an accepted principle of the med- 
ical world that fevers are to be reduced by cold applica- 
tions; but an infant demands careful and judicious treat- 
ment in this direction ; some have extremely sensitive nerves, 
and cold is pahifuL For such, tepid sponging should be 
used near a fire, and the coldness increased gradually. The 
sensations of the child should be the guide. Usually, but 
not always, children that are healthy will learn by degrees 
to prefer cold water, and then it may safely be used. 

When an infant becomes feverish, wrapping its body in a 
towel wrung out in tepid or cold water, and then keeping 
it warm in a woolen blanket, is a very safe and soothing 
remedy. 

In case of constipation, this preparation of food is useful: 

One table-spoonful of unbolted flour wet with cold water. 
Add one pint of hot water, and boil twenty minutes. Add, 
when taken up, one pint of milk. If the stomach seems deli- 
cate and irritable, strain out the bran, but in most cases re- 
tain it. 

Where the mother's milk fails, and good cow's milk can 
not be insured, there are preparations of oat-meal and bar- 
ley-meal that are next best. These may be used when the 
mother's milk is injured by ill health. A trial must be made 
to see which is best. Make a thin gruel, and add half a tea- 
spoonful of condensed milk, or four great spoonfuls of milk 
to a coffee-cup of the gruel for a young infant, and a full 
one for an older child. 

In case of diarrhea, walk with the child in arms a great 
deal in the open air, and give it rice-water to drink. 



400 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

The warmth and vital influences of the nurse are very- 
important, and make this mode of exercise both more sooth- 
ing and more efficacious, especially in the open air, the in- 
fant being warmly clad. 

In case of feverishness from teething or from any other 
cause, wrap the infant in a towel wrung out in tepid water, 
and then wrap it in a woolen blanket. The water may be 
cooler according as the child is older and stronger. The 
evaporation of the water draws off the heat, while the moist- 
ure soothes the nerves, and usually the child will fall into a 
quiet sleep. As soon as it becomes restless, change the wet 
towel and proceed as before. 

The leading physicians of Europe and of this country, in 
all cases of fevers, use cool water to reduce them, by this 
and other modes of application. This method is more 
soothing than any other, and is as effective for adults as for 
infants. 

Some of the most distinguished physicians of New York 
who have examined this chapter give their full approval of 
the advice given. If there is still distrust as to this mode 
of using water to reduce fevers, it will be advantageous to 
read an address on the use of cold applications in fevers, de- 
livered by Dr. William Neftel, before the New York Acade- 
my of Medicine, published in the New York Medical Record 
for November, 1868 ; this can be obtained by inclosing 
twenty cents to the editor, with the post-office address of 
the applicant. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 401 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 

In regard to the physical education of children, Dr. 
Clark, Physician in Ordinary to the Queen of England, ex- 
presses views on one point in which most physicians would 
coincide. He says: "There is no greater error in the man- 
aojement of children than that of orivins: them animal diet 
very early. By persevering in the use of an over-stimula- 
ting diet, the digestive organs become irritated, and the va- 
rious secretions immediately connected with digestion, and 
necessary to it, are diminished, especially the biliary secre- 
tion. Children so fed become very liable to attacks of fe- 
ver and inflammation, afiecting particularly the mucous mem- 
branes ; and measles and other diseases incident to childhood 
are generally severe in their attacks." 

The result of the treatment of the inmates of the Orphan 
Asylum at Albany is one which all who have the care of 
young children should deeply ponder. During the first six 
years of the existence of this institution, its average number 
of children was eighty. For the first three years, their diet 
was meat once a day, bread of fine flour, rice, Indian pud- 
dings, vegetables, fruit, and milk. Considerable attention 
was given to clothing, fresh air, and exercise ; and they 
were bathed once in three wrecks. During these three 
years, from four to six children, and sometimes more, were 
continually on tlie sick-list ; one or two assistant nurses were 
necessary; a physician was called two or three times a 
w^eek; and during this time there were between thirty and 
forty deaths. At the end of this period, the management 
was changed in these respects : daily ablutions of the whole 
body were practiced; bread of unbolted flour was substitu- 
ted for that of fine wheat ; and all animal food was banish- 
ed. More attention, also, was paid to clothing, bedding, 
fresh air, and exercise. 



402 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

The result was, that the nursery was vacated ; the nurse 
and phj^sician w^ere no longer needed; and for two years 
not a single case of sickness or death occurred. The third 
year, also, there were no deaths, except those of two idiots 
and one other child, all of whom were new inmates, who had 
not been subjected to this treatment. The teachers of the 
children also testified there was a manifest increase of intel- 
lectual vigor and activity, while there was much less irrita- 
bility of temper. 

Let parents, nurses, and teachers reflect on the above 
statement, and bear in mind that stupidity of intellect, and 
irritability of temper, as well as ill health, are often caused 
by the mismanagement of the nursery in regard to the phys- 
ical training of children. 

There is probably no practice more deleterious than that 
of allowing children to eat at short intervals through the 
day. As the stomach is thus kept constantly at w^ork, with 
no time for repose, its functions are deranged, and a weak 
or disordered stomach is the frequent result. Children 
should be required to keep cakes, nuts, and other good 
things, which should be sparingly given, till just before a 
meal, and then they will form a part of their regular supply. 
This is better than to wait till after their hunger is satisfied 
by food, when they will eat the niceties merely to gratify the 
palate, and thus overload the stomach and interrupt digestion. 

In regard to the intellectual training of young children, 
some modification in the common practice is necessary, with 
reference to their physical well-being. More care is need- 
ful in providing well-ventilated school-rooms, and in securing 
more time for sports in the open air during school hours. 
It is very important to most mothers that their young chil- 
dren should be removed from their care durinor certain school 

CD 

hours; and it is very useful for quite young children to be 
subjected to the discipline of a school, and to intercourse 
with other children of their own age. And, with a suitable 
teacher, it is no matter how early children are sent to school, 
provided their health is not endangered by impure air, too 
much confinement, and too great mental stimulus, which is 
the chief danger of the present age. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 403 

In regard to the forraation of the moral character, it has 
been too much the case that the discipline of the nursery- 
has consisted of disconnected eftbrts to make children either 
do, or refrain from doing, certain particular acts. Do this, 
and be rewarded ; do that, and be punished ; is the ordinary- 
routine of family government. 

But children can be very early taught that their happi- 
ness, both now and hereafter, depends on the formation of 
habits of submission, self-denial, and benevolence. And 
all the discipline of the nursery can be conducted by par- 
ents, not only with this general aim in their own minds, but 
also with the same object daily set before the minds of the 
children. Whenever their wishes are crossed, or their wills 
subdued, they can be taught that all this is done, not merely 
to please the parent, or to secure some good to themselves 
or to others; but as a part of that merciful training which 
is designed to form such a character, and such habits, that 
they can hereafter find their chief happiness in giving up 
their will to God, and in living to do good to others, instead 
of living merely to please themselves. 

It can be pointed out to them, that they must always sub- 
mit their will to the will of God, or else be continually mis- 
erable. It can be shown how, in the nursery, and in the 
school, and through all future days, a child must practice 
the giving up of his will and wishes, when they interfere 
with the rights and comfort of others; and how important 
it is early to learn to do this, so that it will, by habit, be- 
come easy and agreeable. It can be shown how children 
who are indulged in all their wishes, and w^ho are never ac- 
customed to any self-denial, always find it hard to refrain 
from what injures themselves and others. It can be shown, 
also, how important it is for every person to form such hab- 
its of benevolence toward others that self denial in doing 
good will become easy. 

Parents have learned, by experience, that children can be 
constrained by authority and penalties to exercise self denial, 
for their own good, till a habit is formed which makes the 
duty comparatively easy. For example, well-trained chil- 
dren can be accustomed to deny themselves tempting arti- 



404 THE UOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

cles of food which are injurious, until the practice ceases to 
be painful and difficult ; whereas an indulged child would be 
thrown into fits of angler or discontent when its wishes were 
crossed by restraints of this kind. 

But it has not been so readily discerned that the same 
method is needful in order to form a habit of self-denial in 
doing good to others. It has been supposed that while chil- 
dren must be forced, by authority ^ to be self-denying and 
prudent in regard to their own happiness, it may properly be 
left to their own discretion whether they will practice any 
self-denial in doing good to others. But the more difficult 
a duty is, the greater is the need of parental authority in 
forming a habit which will make that duty easy. 

In order to secure this, some parents turn their earliest 
efforts to this object. They require the young child always 
to offer to others a part of every thing which it receives ; 
always to comply with all reasonable requests of others for 
service ; and often to practice little acts of self-denial, in or- 
der to secure some enjoyment for others. If one child re- 
ceives a present of some nicety, he is required to share it 
with all his brothers and sisters. If one asks his brother to 
help him in some study or sport, and is met w^itji a denial, 
the parent requires the unwilling child to act benevolently, 
and give up some of his time to increase his brother's enjoy- 
ment. Of course, in such an effort as this discretion must 
be used as to the frequency and extent of the exercise of au- 
thority, to induce a habit of benevolence. But where par- 
ents deliberately aim at such an object, and wisely conduct 
their instructions and discipline to secure it, very much will 
be accomplished. 

In regard to forming habits of obedience, there have been 
two extremes, both of which need to be shunned. One is, 
a stern and unsympathizing maintenance of parental author- 
ity, demanding perfect and constant obedience, without any 
attempt to convince a- child of the propriety and benevo- 
lence of the requisitions, and without any manifestation of 
sympathy and tenderness for the pain and difficulties which 
are to be met. Under such discipline, children grow up to 
fear their parents, rather than to love and trust them; while 



THE MxVNAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDKEN. 405 

some of the most valuable principles of character are chilled, 
or forever blasted. 

In shunning this danger, other parents pass to the oppo- 
site extreme. They put themselves too much on the foot- 
ing of equals with their children, as if little were due to 
superiority of relation, age, and experience. Nothing is ex- 
acted, without the implied concession that the child is to be 
a judge of the propriety of the requisition ; and reason and 
persuasion are employed, where simple command and obedi- 
ence would be far better. This system produces a most 
pernicious influence. Children soon perceive the position 
thus allowed them, and take every advantage of it. They 
soon learn to dispute parental requirements, acquire habits 
of forwardness and conceit, assume disrespectful manners 
and address, maintain their views with pertinacity, and 
yield to authority with ill-humor and resentment, as if their 
rights were infringed upon. 

The medium course is for the parent to take the attitude 
of a superior in age, knowledge, and relation, who has a per- 
fect rigJit to control every action of the child, and that, too, 
without giving any reason for the requisitions. " Obey be- 
cause your parent commands^'' is always a proper and suffi- 
cient reason: though not always the best to give. 

But care should be taken to convince the child that the 
parent is conducting a course of discipline designed to 
make him happy; and in forming habits of implicit obedi- 
ence, self-denial, and benevolence, the child should have the 
reasons for most requisitions kindly stated ; never, however, 
on the demand of it from the child, as a right, but as an act 
of kindness from the parent. 

it is impossible to govern children properly, especially 
those of strong and sensitive feelings, without a constant 
effort to appreciate the value which they attach to their en- 
joyments and pursuits. A lady of great strength of mind 
and sensibility once told the writer that one of the most 
acute periods of suffering in her whole life was occasioned 
by the burning up of some milkweed-silk by her mother. 
The child had found, for the first time, some of this shining 
and beautiful substance ; was filled with delight at her dis-; 



406 THE HOUSEKEEPER AJfD HEALTHKEEPER. 

covery ; was arranging it in parcels ; planning its future 
use, and her pleasure in showing it to her companions — 
when her mother, finding it strewed over the carpet, hastily 
swept it into the fire, and that, too, with so indifferent an 
air, that the child fled away, almost distracted with grief 
and disappointment. The mother little realized the pain 
she had inflicted, but the child felt the unkindness so severe- 
ly that for several days her mother was an object almost of 
aversion. While, therefore, the parent needs to carry on a 
steady course, which will oblige the child always to give up 
its will, whenever its own good or the greater claims of oth- 
ers require it, this should be constantly connected with the 
expression of a tender sympathy for the trials and disap- 
pointments thus inflicted. 

Those, again, who will join with children and help them 
in their sports, will learn by this mode to understand the 
feelings and interests of childhood; while, at the same time, 
they secure a degree of confidence and afiection which can 
not be gained so easily in any other way. And it is to be 
regretted that parents so often relinquish this most power- 
ful mode of influence to domestics and playmates, who often 
use it in the most pernicious manner. In joining in such 
sports, older persons should never yield entirely the atti- 
tude of superiors, or allow disrespectful manners or address. 
And respectful deportment is never more cheerfully ac- 
corded, than in seasons when young hearts are pleased and 
made grateful by having their tastes and enjoyments so efii- 
ciently promoted. 

Next to the want of all government, the two most fruit- 
ful sources of evil to children are, tinsteadiness in govern- 
ment and over-government. Most of the cases in which the 
children of sensible and conscientious parents turn out bad- 
ly, result from one or the other of these causes. In cases 
of unsteady government, either one parent is very strict, 
severe, and unbending, and the other excessively indulgent, 
or else the parents are sometimes very strict and decided, 
and at other times allow disobedience to go unpunished. In 
such cases, children, never knowing exactly when they can es- 
cape with impunity, are constantly tempted to make the trial. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. 407 

The bad effects of this can be better appreciated by ref- 
erence to one important principle of the mind. It is found 
to be universally true that, when any object of desire is put 
entirely beyond the reach of hope or expectation, the mind 
very soon ceases to long for it, and turns to other objects 
of pursuit. But so long as the mind is hoping for some 
good, and making efforts to obtain it, any opposition excites 
irritable feelings. Let the object be put entirely beyond 
all hope, and this irritation soon ceases. 

In consequence of this principle, those children who are 
under the care of persons of steady and decided government 
know that, whenever a thing is forbidden or denied, it is out 
of the reach of hope ; the desire, therefore, soon ceases, and 
they turn to other objects. But the children of undecided, 
or of over-indulgent parents, never enjoy this preserving aid. 
When a thing is denied, they never know but either coax- 
ing may win it, or disobedience secure it without any pen- 
alty, and so they are kept in that state of hope and anxie- 
ty which produces irritation and tempts to insubordination. 
The children of very indulgent parents, and of those who 
are undecided and unsteady in government, are very apt to 
become fretful, irritable, and fractious. 

Another class of persons, in shunning this evil, go to the 
other extreme, and are very strict and pertinacious in regard 
to every requisition. With them, fault-finding and penalties 
abound, until the children are either hardened into indiffer- 
ence of feeling and obtuseness of conscience, or else become 
excessively irritable or misanthropic. 

It demands great wisdom, patience, and self-control, to 
escape these two extremes. In aiming at this, there are 
parents who have found the following maxims of very great 
value : 

First : Avoid, as much as possible, the multiplication of 
rules and absolute commands. Instead of this, take the at- 
titude of advisers. " My child, this is improper, I wish you 
Avould remember not to do it." This mode of address an- 
swers for all the little acts of heedlessness, awkwardness, or 
ill-manners so frequently occurring with children. There 
are cases when direct and distinct commands are needful. 



408 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

and in such cases a penalty for disobedience should be as 
steady and sure as the laws of nature. A barrel in the nurs- 
ery, with a seat in it for the child, serves for a gentle and 
yet very effective solitary imprisonment, and is a most salu- 
tary penalty. Where such steadiness and certainty of pen- 
alty attend disobedience, children no more think of diso- 
beying than they do of putting their fingers into a burning 
candle. 

The next maxim is. Govern by rewards more than by pen- 
alties. Such faults as willful disobedience, lying, dishonesty, 
and indecent or profane language, should be punished with 
severe penalties, after a child has been fully instructed in 
the evil of such practices. But all the constantly recurring 
faults of the nursery, such as ill-humor, quarreling, careless- 
ness, and ill-manners, may, in a great many cases, be regu- 
lated by gentle and kind remonstrances, and by the offer of 
some reward for persevering efforts to form a good habit. 
It is very injurious and degrading to any mind to be kept 
under the constant fear of penalties. Love and hope are the 
principles that should be mainly relied on. in forming the 
habits of childhood. 

Another maxim, and perhaps the most difficult, is. Do not 
govern by the aid of severe and angry tones. A single ex- 
ample will be given to illustrate this maxim. A child is dis- 
posed to talk and amuse itself at table. The mother requests 
it to be silent, except when needing to ask for food, or when 
spoken to by its older friends. It constantly forgets. The 
mother, instead of rebuking in an impatient tone, says, " My 
child, you must remember not to talk. I will remind you 
of it four times more, and after that, whenever you forget, 
you must leave the table and w^ait till we are done." If the 
mother is steady in her government, it is not probable that 
she will have to apply this slight penalty more than once 
or twice. This method is far more effectual than the use of 
sharp and severe tones, to secure attention and recollection, 
and often answers the purpose as w^ell as offering some 
reward. 

The w^'iter has been in some families where the most effi- 
cient and steady government has been sustained without the 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YaUNG CHILDEEN. 409 

use of a cross or angry tone ; and in others, where a far less 
efficient discipline was kept up, by frequent severe rebukes 
and angry remonstrances. In the first case, the children fol- 
lowed the example set them, and seldom used severe tones 
to each other ; in the latter, the method employed by the 
parents was imitated by the children, and cross words and 
angry tones resounded from morning till night in every por- 
tion of the household. 

Another important maxim is, Try to keep children in a 
happy state of mind. Every one knows, by experience, that 
it is easier to do right and submit to rule when cheerful and 
happy, than when irritated. This is peculiarly true of chil- 
dren ; and a wise mother, when she finds her child fretful 
and impatient, and thus constantly doing wrong, will often 
remedy the whole difficulty by telling some amusing story, 
or by getting the child engaged in some amusing sport. 
This strongly shows the importance of learning to govern 
children without the employment of angry tones, which al- 
ways produce irritation, 

Children of active, heedless temperament, or those who 
are odd, awkward, or unsuitable in their remarks and de- 
portment, are often essentially injured by a want of patience 
and self-control in those who govern them. Such children 
often possess a morbid sensibility which they strive to con- 
ceal, or a desire of love and approbation, which preys like a 
famine on the soul. And yet they become objects of ridi- 
cule and rebuke to almost every member of the family, until 
their sensibilities are tortured into obtuseness or misanthro- 
py. Such children, above all others, need tenderness and 
sympathy. A thousand instances of mistake or forgetfulness 
should be passed over in silence, while opportunities for com- 
mendation and encouragement should be diligently sought. 

In regard to the formation of habits of self-denial in child- 
hood, it is astonishing to see how parents who are very sen- 
sible often seem to regard this matter. Instead of inuring 
their children to this duty in early life, so that by habit it 
may be made easy in after-days, they seem to be studiously 
seeking to cut them off from every chance to secure such 
a preparation. Every wish of the child is studiously grati- 

18 



410 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

fied ; and, where a ;iecessity exists of crossing its wishes, 
some compensating pleasure is oiFered in return. Such par- 
ents often maintain that nothing shall be put on their table 
which their children may not join them in eating. But 
where, so easily and surely as at the daily meal, can that 
habit of self-denial be formed which is so needful in govern- 
ing the appetites, and which children must acquire, or be 
ruined ? The food which is proper for grown persons is 
often unsuitable for children ; and this is a sufficient reason 
for accustoming them to see others partake of delicacies 
which they must not share. Requiring children to wait till 
others are helped, and to refrain from conversation at table, 
except when addressed by their elders, is another mode of 
forming habits of self-denial and self-control. Requiring 
them to help others first, and to offer the best to others, has 
a similar influence. 

In forming the moral habits of children, it is wise to take 
into account the peculiar temptations to which they are to 
be exposed. The people of this nation are eminently a traf- 
ficking people ; and the present standard of honesty, as to 
trade and debts, is very low, and every year seems sinking 
still lower. It is, therefore, pre-eminently important that 
children should be trained to strict honesty^ both in word 
and deed. It is not merely teaching children to avoid ab- 
solute lying, which is needed : all kinds of deceit should be 
guarded against, and all kinds of little dishonest practices 
be strenuously opposed. A child should be brought up with 
the determined principle never to rim in debt^ but to be con- 
tent to live in a humbler way, in order to secure that true 
independence which should be the noblest distinction of an 
American citizen. 

Quite as important in family and school training is enforc- 
ing the laxo that protects character^ which is more precious 
than gold, while the most cruel suffeiings result from want 
of honor and Care in this respect. Especially is the enforce- 
ment of this law important at this period, when there are 
such constant and destructive examples of its violation both 
by the press and by general practice. 

This law of benevolence and rectitude is this : every per- 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDKEN. 411 

son who has established a fair character in any direction 
should have it upheld by all^ as a protection against un- 
proved rumors that impeach this character. Such rumors 
should always be met with the question, Is it proved by 
pro2oer evidence? If it is not, then it is a slander, and who- 
ever aids to circulate it should be treated as an abettor of 
slander. 

To illustrate this, take a not uncommon case: A lady, 
who for thirty years held the highest character for purity, 
propriety, and good principles, was accused by a man of 
high position of following him with repeated solicitations 
for marriage. He offered no proof but his assertion, which 
was nullified by her denial. In this case, the man should 
have been treated as a slanderer, and those who aided in cir- 
culating his story as abettors of slander. 

Every woman is especially interested in sustaining this 
law, for it is a dreadful mortification and disgrace to a deli- 
cate and refined woman to have certain questions even con- 
nected with her name. Not les* so is it to a clergyman of 
keen sensibilities. And it is an insult to ask a person thus 
abused to furnish denials and defense. Established character 
should protect both the person thus maligned and also their 
nearest friends from hearing, much less from noticing, such 
mean and disgraceful assaults. 

There is no more important duty devolving upon an edu- 
cator than the cultivation of habits of modesty and proprie- 
ty in young children. All indecorous words or deportment 
should be carefully restrained, and delicacy and reserve 
studiously cherished. It is a common notion, that it is im- 
portant to secure these virtues to one sex more than to the 
other ; and, by a strange inconsistency, the sex most exposed 
to danger is the one selected as least needing care. Yet a 
wise mother will be especially careful that her sons are 
trained to modesty and purity of mind. 

The rule which should guide on this subject is this: 
Whenever health, life, or duty demand it, all connected with 
I such topics and duties should be spoken of and done with- 
out embarrassment or restraint; but in no other circum- 
stances. Thus in the Bible, instruction on the dangers and 



tl2 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

duties connected with our bodily organization are set forth 
in plain and simple language, to be read in public worship 
and in private by all. So, in medical, surgical, and nursing 
duties, the same freedom is demanded, and disapproval or 
opposition are deemed false modesty and foolish fastidious- 
ness. But where there are no such demands for health and 
safety, then conversation, poetry, pictures, jokes, and coarse 
allusions are vulgar, indecent, and sinful. 

Few mothers are sufficiently aware of the dreadful penal- 
ties which often result from indulged impurity of thought. 
If children, in future life, can be preserved from licentious 
associates, it is supposed that their safety is secured. But 
the records of our insane retreats, and the pages of medical 
writers, teach that even in solitude, and without being aware 
of the sin or the danger, children may inflict evils on them- 
selves which not unfrequently terminate in disease, delirium, 
and death. 

There is no necessity for explanations on this point any 
further than this, that certain parts of the body are not to 
be touched except for purposes of cleanliness, and that the 
most dreadful sufiering comes from disobeying these com- 
mands. So in regard to practices and si^s of which a young 
child will sometimes inquire, the wise parent will say, that 
this is what children can not understand, and about which 
they must not talk or ask questions. And they should be 
told that it is always a bad sign when children talk on mat- 
ters which parents call vulgar and indecent, and that the 
company of such children should be avoided. Disclosing 
details of wrong-doing to young and curious children, often 
leads to the very evils feared. But parents and teachers, 
in this age of danger, should be Avell informed and w^atch- 
ful; for it is not unfrequently the case that servants and 
school-mates will teach young children practices which ex- 
haust the nervous system, and bring on paralysis, mania, and 
death. 

But there are social dangers during and after childhood 
which demand from mothers and teachers such instructions 
as are rarely given ; and yet, for the want of it, the most 
dreadful vices and sufferinsrs ensue. 



THE MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG CHILDEEN. 413 

The evils and dangers here indicated can never be under- 
stood or appreciated till mothers and teachers gain that 
knowledge of the construction of the body, and the dangers 
connected with duties of the family state, which is now con- 
fined almost entirely to the medical profession, while phy- 
sicians, by false customs and false modesty on the part of 
women, are constrained to a reticence which is dangerous 
and often fatal. The difficulty can be wisely met, not by 
public lectures or by pulpit ministries. It is in the priva- 
cy of the nursery and the school-room that well-instructed 
mothers and teachers must train the young to meet these 
dangers, by all needful knowledge and habits of intelligent 
self-control. 



414 THE HOUSEKEEPER AXD HExVLTHKEEPEB. 



CHAPTER XXVni. 

FAMILY EELIGIOUS TRAINING. 

There are few women who have charge of servants or of 
children, in the family and school, who do not suffer anxie- 
ty and perplexity, and sometimes remorse, in attempts to 
perform their duty as chief ministers of religion in the fam- 
ily state. The following suggestions may aid in diminishing 
these difficulties : 

The main foundation of these troubles is the endless di- 
versities of instruction as to what is right in character and 
conduct, and especially as to what is taught in the Bible on 
these points. For there are few practical questions on which 
persons of equal intelligence and moral worth are not in an- 
tagonism as to what is the right ; and all the Christian sects 
are in equal controversy as to what are the teachings of the 
Bible. And yet every housekeeper, every mother, and ev- 
ery teacher, practically, must decide these questions for her- 
self and her dependants, when, in the kitchen, nursery, and 
school-room she teaches what actions and feelings are right 
or wrong, or when she decides to what religious denomina- 
tion she, and those she can influence, shall belong. 

There is one consoling consideration in view of these con- 
flicting opinions, and that is, that nothing tends more direct- 
ly to cultivate both the intellect and moral feelings, than 
the study, reflection, and discussion resulting from this try- 
ing dilemma. For, were every human being infallibly di- 
rected by a superior mind as to every step atid every decis- 
ion, it would greatly diminish mental effort, and the moral 
discipline of life. All would remain as mere children, guided 
and upheld at every step. Instead of this, the whole moral 
and intellectual world is kept vigorous, earnest, and bright 
by conflict and discussion, while many moral virtues are cul- 
tivated by this turmoil. 

The difficulties thus encountered may be much reduced 



FAMILY KELIGIOUS TRAINING. 415 

by gaining clear ideas as to ichat it is which constitutes 
voluntary action 7'ig/it. To settle this more crearly, we in- 
troduce again a portion of Chapter XXV., with additional 
considerations. The definition of right^ in its widest use, is 
" any rule or method which will best accomplish any plan or 
design." It is a fact, also, that there is a created intuitive 
belief in all rational minds that happiness-making on the 
largest scale possible is the end or purpose for which all 
things are made. 

This is proved by the fact that whenever men perceive 
that a given course will secure the most and the best good 
for both the individual and for society, all decide that it is 
right. The main difficulty is in discovering what is the 
best for all concerned. 

There are two ways in which mankind learn this. The 
first is, by the trial of experience. Man learns " to know 
good and evil" by good lost or gained, and evil suffered. 
This experimenting has been going on in all ages, each gen- 
eration gaining by the experience of the past. The other 
mode is, by revelations from God made in human language, 
and to be interpreted by the common rules of the language 
employed. 

But one distinction is very important, and that is, the 
two relations in which an action is to be judged as right, 
viz., first, with reference to the action as best for all con- 
cerned, and next in reference to the motive or intention of 
the actor. For it is best and right that every mind should 
choose what it believes to be right ; and thus it often hap- 
pens that the same action is right as to motive or intention, 
and wrong as to actual result. So, also, an action may be 
right in tendency and result, while it is wrong as to mo- 
tive. There is often much confusion from not recoo^nizingr 
this distinction. 

There are many cases where experience will not avail in 
deciding what is best for all, especially in reference to our 
prospects after death, and our relations, and duties toward 
our Creator. For all this we are dependent on revelations 
made in human language, to be interpreted by the rules of 
lanoruasre. And as almost all words have more than one 



41 G THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

literal meaning, and are also used sometimes in a literal, and 
sometimes in a figurative sense, the chief labor in gaining 
God's teaching is in applying rightly the laws of language. 

One difficulty in this attempt is the fact that the true 
interpretation of language depends greatly on the habits 
of thought, the prejudices of education, and the influence of 
excited feelings and wishes. So strong are these influences 
in the common affairs of life, that it has been a maxim of 
courts that a man is not qualified to testify where his own 
interests are concerned. And in all daily afifairs, men al- 
ways make allowances for deviation from a true judgment 
in what greatly interests the feelings. This accounts for the 
fact that such a variety of interpretations are put on the 
plain and natural meaning of the Bible, when such a mean- 
ing controverts favorite opinions or interferes with impor- 
tant plans or hopes. It is not because it is difficult to inter- 
pret the Bible correctly by the proper use of those rules 
men employ in daily life ; it is because men's feelings, preju- 
dices, and wishes interfere. No less is it the case that the 
bias of feeling constantly sways the judgment of men in 
deciding what is right and best, where experience and rea- 
son are the chief guides. 

Another embarrassment in gaining the true teachings of 
the Bible is the fact that the doctrines of churches and 
creeds have consisted extensively of philosophical theories 
to explain the hoio and the ichy of the facts made known by 
revelation; and men have been educated to believe that 
these theories should be accepted as authoritative, the same 
as the revealed facts, and thus feeling and prejudice inter- 
fere. For example, that the sacrifice and death of Jesus 
Christ was needful to secure redemption to our race from 
sin and its penalties, is the revealed fact. Why it was 
needed, and how it avails to save men, is a question which 
men have invented various theories to answer and explain, 
and belief in these theories has been deemed as sacred and 
obligatory as if they were matters of revelation. 

Another, and the chief difficulty, is the fact that the great 
mass, even of educated minds, have never been trained to 
use the rules of language in the interpretation of the Bible 



FAMILY RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 417 

as they do in common life. Although it is the great and 
distinctive principle of Protestantism that every man is to 
form his own creed, and to interpret the Bible for himself, 
responsible not to man but to God alone, the common peo- 
ple have not been trained properly to use this right and 
privilege. And this is not because it is not as easy and 
practical a matter as any other duty requiring intellectual 
culture, practical exercises, and an honest desire for the 
truth. In consequence of this, much that is only figurative 
in the Bible has been received as literal, and repellent doc- 
trines thus established. 

It is probable that no one thing could so effectually pro- 
mote unity of opinion among churches, and consequent har- 
mony of action, as the proper training of the common peo- 
ple in the nursery and school-room to use the laws of lan- 
guage with the Bible as they do in common life. Such 
training would also bring confidence and peace to minds so 
extensively perplexed by supposed contradictions as to its 
teachings. It was by this method that the writer overcame 
difficulties, and gained such confidence and peace as can be 
secured in no other way. Without stating the results of 
her own efforts in interpreting the Bible, a few examples will 
follow, to illustrate the position that any woman of ordinary 
capacity can find relief and comfort by the same method. 

We will take, first, the great question of this life. What 
are our dangers in the future life, and what must we do to 
be saved from them ? 

^ The following is a brief statement of the views of man- 
- kind on this question. Among the heathen, especially among 
the wisest and best, it was held that the virtuous would 
fare better after death than the wicked. The seventy-third 
Psalm shows in most terrific language the misery of the 
wicked, and as clearly the blessedness of the righteous at 
death, as believed by the Jews in all ages. 

Among Christian nations, a large class have no definite 
opinions on this question, but by their practice assume that 

I there is no danger at all, and so give all their thoughts and 
aims to the things of this life. 

A large class who profess to obtain their opinions from 

w 18* " 



418 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEPw 

the Bible hold that, either at death or at some period after, 
all mankind will be forever good and happy in heaven. 

Another large class hold that a portion of mankind will, 
at death, go to everlasting misery, to be tormented with 
literal fire and brimstone, and that all the rest will finally 
go to heaven ; but previously the good must sufifer tempo- 
rary punishment for sins committed here — this period of 
suffering being more or less diminished by penances, and by 
the sacrifices and good works of Jesus Christ and the good 
on earth. 

Another class believe that at death every human being 
passes directly to perfect happiness in heaven, or to dread- 
ful sufferings in hell which are never to end. One part of 
this class hold that the punishment is literally existing for- 
ever in fire and brimstone, and the other part hold that the 
suffering will be the natural result of an endless character 
that insures misery, and that the language of the Bible ex- 
presses this figuratively. 

Finally, another class hold that, in the life to come, hap- 
piness and misery depend on character; that a portion of our 
race in this life forms one that insures immediate and end- 
less happiness at death ; that another portion form a char- 
acter that involves great suffering after death ; and that in 
some cases this character is perpetuated forever, involving 
consequent endless suffering. But they claim that the Bible 
nowhere teaches that with all mankind character is fixed at 
death. Instead of this, what intervenes between death and 
the final day, when the righteous and wicked are to be re- 
clothed in bodies and forever separated, is left in wise dark- 
ness. 

But the most striking fact in these diverse opinions is, that 
Christian sects all agree that the number who will escape 
from whatever dangers there may be, depends upon the self- 
denying labor and sacrifices of the followers of Jesus Christ. 

In view of these facts, the first duty of every housekeeper, 
of every mother, and of every teacher, is to decide which of 
these views as to the dangers awaiting us all at death are 
taught by Jesus Christ and his apostles. For if it be true 
that scholars, children, and servants must be trained to self- 



FAMILY RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 419 

sacrifice and self-denying labor, in order to save themselves 
and their fellovv-raen from dreadful risks and dangers in the 
life to come, all the practical duties of daily life will be di- 
verse from the methods pursued by those who believe in no 
such dangers. 

To illustrate this, suppose several families recently settled 
near a deep, unexplored wood in a new country. The chil- 
dren ramble in its shades, and every day find new beauties 
and curiosities to attract them farther into its reserves. On 
a certain day a man arrives from a distant place, all torn 
and bleeding in efibrts to reach them. He tells them that 
there is a frightful ravine in the unexplored depths; that 
pleasant but slippery paths lead to it ; that it is the resort 
of fierce and cruel animals, which come forth and roam 
through its beautiful shades, and that there is no safety but 
in keeping the children from entering these dangerous 
woods. 

Now these points would be clear to common sense : first, 
that the man, though an entire stranger, is a benevolent per- 
son, because he evidently has suffered severely to save; 
next, that he tells what he believes is the truth, or he would 
not encounter this suffering ; and lastly, as he says he has 
long lived in that vicinity, that he has had the means of 
knowing the truth, and his representations are to be re- 
ceived as true. 

Suppose, then, one family have perfect faith in this messen- 
ger, they will use every possible precaution to avoid the 
dangers revealed. Suppose another family is skeptical about 
the danger, and yet has some fear it may be true, they w^ould 
use some care, and yet not be so anxious and earnest as the 
family which had perfect faith. Suppose another family to 
have no belief at all as to the danger, they would allow their 
children to roam as before, and give no care or thought to 
the matter. This illustrates the position that belief in dan- 
ger modifies all rules of duty, and that faith is proved by 
men's conduct or works. 

In like manner faith in Jesus Christ, who came in suffering 
and sorrow to tell of dangers in the unseen world, is proved 
by the way men live. If they have perfect faith in the dan- 



420 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

gers he reveals, then the most earnest eiforts to save them- 
selves and their fellow-men from ignorance and sin will fol- 
low. If they have little faith, they will make less exertions; 
if they have no fears for the future life, all their plans will 
terminate in gaining the good things of this life for them- 
selves and those they love, sure that all the rest of mankind 
will be happy when they die, and that their troubles here 
will only serve to make rest and enjoyment the greater in 
the coming life. 

The following is the method by which any woman may 
decide what is truth on this great question, so as to be at 
rest. ■ 

It is first assumed that the Bible is written for the com- 
mon people, and is to be interpreted by the rules of language 
men employ in common life, which, briefly, are these : 

The first is, all expressions are literal when they do not 
contradict the known nature of things, or known facts, or the 
known opinions of the writer; in which latter case they usu- 
ally are figurative, but have as definite a meaning as if liter- 
al. For example, " everlasting " and " forever " mean " time 
without end," unless contrary to known facts, or the known 
nature of things, or the known opinions of the writer. So 
"punishment" always signifies "pain consequent either on 
violating a natural or some instituted law." 

The second rule is, when any expression has several signi- 
fications, that is to be taken as the right one which has the 
onost evidence in its favor. Let any woman of ordinary abil- 
ity and education apply these rules to the texts on this sub- 
ject, and she will find little difficulty in deciding what the 
Bible teaches as the dangers of the future life. 

Another example will be given on a subject which causes 
great anxiety and perplexity, and which may be relieved by 
the same method. The question is. Why does a Being of in- 
finite power, wisdom, and goodness allow the dreadful mis- 
eries that oppress mankind, and, still more, why will he allow 
sin and suffering to reach through eternal ages ? Many sup- 
pose that revelation gives no reply to this longing inquiry. 

But when we take the language of the Bible in its common 
and literal sense, we find a satisfactory answer. Yov perfect 



FAMILY RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 421 

icisdom is " that which chooses the best means for the best 
ends," and ^:)er/ec^ benevolence is "that which seeks to make 
the most possible happiness with the least possible suffering." 
Therefore, when God reveals himself as perfect in wisdom 
and goodness, it is the same as saying that he has done, and 
will do, allin his power to save from sin and suffering. Al- 
mighty power does not signify power to- work contradictions 
or absurdities ; and all theologians teach that there is a lim- 
itation of power in the nature oftlmigs. Thus some say God 
can not forgive sin without an atonement ; others, that he 
can not lie ; others, that he " can not govern the stars by the 
ten commandments, nor free agents by the attraction of 
gravity." And God says of his people Israel, " What coidd 
I have done that I have not done " to secure their obedience. 

God's inability to save all is expressly stated when he de- 
clares that he is " not willing that any should perish." ' The 
only proof of want of power to do something is to xnill it 
done, and yet it remains undone. And God declares that he 
is not willing to have any one perish. Still more effectively 
is this proved by his suffering and that of his dear Son, when 
Christ came. No sane mind ever suffers pain to gain an end 
when it could be gained without suffering ; and the revelar 
tion of God as having suffered so greatly, is the highest proof 
that can be given that his power is limited in controlling free 
agents by the very nature of free agency. In his hour of ex- 
tremity, our Lord prayed,"7/^^^ be possible^ remove this cup ;" 
thus indicating that almighty power signifies power to do all 
possible things, and that some things are not possible even 
to God. 

The first question being settled, that there are dangers to 
be met after death, the next is, "What must we do to be 
saved ?" 

Here the Christian churches are divided, and on a funda- 
mental point, which briefly is this : One class claims that 
God has the power to create minds so that, without any pre- 
vious knowledge or training, they shall not only know what 
is right, but have a controlling principle that in all cases will 
secure right choice, and that the minds of all angels and of 
our first parents were made on this pattern. But owing to 
Adam's sin, all infants are born without this perfect organ- 



422 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

ization, and so depraved that eternal sin and suffering in 
hell is the portion of all who are not regenerated before they 
die, while there is no certain way revealed by which parents 
can insure this boon for all their offspring. 

The other class claim that the assumption that God can, 
or ever did, create minds on this pattern, is a theological the- 
ory for which no evidence exists in revelation or in nature ; 
that it destroys the evidence of the benevolence of God, 
making him prefer the sin and suffering of infants, when he 
has power to make them wdth such minds. They claim also 
that if a holy mind consists in a controlling purpose or choice 
to do right, that it is a contradiction in terms to say that a 
free agent can be created with such a purpose or choice. For 
the distinctive feature of a free agent is intellect to perceive 
right and wrong, and power to choose in either of two courses ; 
and choice can not be created. It is also objected that by this 
theory the chief aim of an educator is not so much to teach 
what is riixht and wn-onsc, and secure motives and training^ to 
induce such habits of obedience to God's laws as eventually 
will secure a controlling purpose of obedience, but rather to 
employ means by which God shall regenerate the depraved 
mind. 

Let it be particularly noticed that these two classes do 
riot differ as to the facts revealed. Both recognize the fact 
taught, as much by experience as by revelation, that every 
child has such a nature as insures the constant violation of 
natural law, while it is entirely destitute of a controlling prin- 
ciple of love to God and man. They differ mainly as to a 
theory of accounting for this fact. One teaches that it is 
because the mind at birth is ignorant, undeveloped, and un- 
trained ; the other teaches that it is owing to an imperfect 
constitutional nature, for which God or Adam, or both, are 
responsible. 

Every woman must examine and decide for herself on 
which of these systems she will train her family. In this at- 
tempt women have one advantage, and that is, they are not 
so liable to embarrassment and prejudice as they would be 
were they, as are most of their religious teachers, trained in 
systematic theology. 

The writer has had an experience in both methods, which 



FAMILY RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 423 

may have some influence in regard to belief in the teach- 
ings of the Bible as to the dreadful dangers to be met in the 
life to come. This was the mainspring of feeling and effort 
in her father, who trained a large family to believe and to 
feel that the great object of life should be to save as many as 
possible from eternal ruin. Wealth, honor, power, and every 
earthly good, in his mind, was as the dust of the balance com- 
pared with this overmastering passion. It was this dreadful 
danger to herself, and to those she loved best, that changed 
a frolicsome, hopeful, light - hearted girl to a serious, hard- 
working woman as nothing else could have done. It was 
this that stimulated a mind whose natural tendency was to 
works of taste, light literature, and fun, to anxious investiga- 
tion in theology, metaphysics, and Biblical science. 

And the results in family and personal training are equal- 
ly manifest in the history of Christian sects. It is those 
Avhich are most deeply convinced of dreadful dangers in the 
life to come which have been most advanced in mental de- 
velopment, and in benevolent labor and self-sacrifice. Such 
heroic suflering and devotion to the best interests of hu- 
manity have never been witnessed on a large scale, except 
in denominations whose fundamental and motive power is 
belief in dreadful* dangers to be encountered after death. 
The great difficulty in many of these denominations has been 
a theological theory as to the created constitution of mind, 
which tended to lessen hope and exertion in that training 
by which escape from these dangers is most readily and 
happily secured. 

The course here suggested does not imply independent in- 
vestigation, without aid from men of learning and piety. Ev- 
ery doctrine of theology, and every antagonistic mode of Bib- 
lical interpretation, has been sustained by such men. But 
with a reference Bible and Concordance, any woman of ordi- 
nary capacity can collect all that the Bible contains on a 
given topic, and form a decision as to which view has the 
most evidence in its favor. Then she can learn what has 
been offered both for and against this view. This having 
been done with a prayerful spirit, the result will rarely fail 
in bringing satisfaction and peace ; while both intellectually 
\ and morally such exercises will have an elevating tendency. 



424 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HE^ILTHKEEPEE. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 

In the chapter on the Bight Use of Time and Property/ , the 
important explanation was made of the great law of love to 
God- and to our neighbor, which includes in its aim and spirit 
all other laws. The distinction is there exhibited between 
instinctive emotional love, caused by agreeable qualities in 
persons and things, and the voluntary love which is " good- 
w^ill" toward God and man on the best and most exten- 
sive scale. This love is identified in the great command it- 
self by the expression " as thyself." For the love of self is 
not pleasure created by our own agreeable qualities. It 
rather is the all-controlling desire to make self happy. For 
this end we are required to obey the laws of God, and thus 
secure the best and highest happiness both to ourselves and 
to our neighbors. 

In addition to this supreme law, made clear both by the 
intuitive principle of mind and in the retealed laws of the 
Old Testament, we have the teachings of Jesus Christ as to 
the character of God as a loving Father to all his creatures. 
And, what is especially to be regarded in estimating the obli- 
gations of a housekeeper to her servants, we are taught that 
our heavenly Father feels the most care and interest in those 
of his children who are the most ignorant, the most neglect- 
ed, and the most sinful. As the loving parent gives the 
most thought and tender care to the most feeble and imper- 
fect child, so the Father of All most anxiously cares for the 
weak, the ignorant, and the wandering of mankind. 

Few of Christ's professed followers at the present day re- 
alize what obligations they assume when they prepare large 
houses and establishments, which bring the most neglected 
members of society under their care as members of the fami- 
ly state. 

Did they understand the sacred obligations thus assumed 



THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 425 

to train the humble members of their family with the care 
and Christian love taught by both the precept and example 
of our Divine Lord, it is probable most would reduce their 
style of living, so that their own children, with one or two 
of God's most neglected ones, would embrace all for whom 
they would dare to assume such obligations. 

The preceding presents the general principles to guide a 
housekeeper as to her duty in the care of servants. Tfie 
following will suggest important details and considerations. 
Those in quotation-marks are from Mrs. Stowe's " House and 
Home Papers." 

"Although in earlier ages the highest-born, wealthiest, 
and proudest ladies were skilled in the simple labors of the 
household, the advance of society toward luxury has changed 
all this, especially in lands of aristocracy and classes ; and at 
the present time America is the only country where there is a 
class of women who may be described as ladies who do their 
own work. By a lady we mean a woman of education, cul- 
tivation, and refinement, of liberal tastes and ideas, who, with- 
out any very material additions or changes, would be recog- 
nized as a lady in any circle of the Old World or the New. 

" The existence of such a class is a fact peculiar to Amer- 
ican society, a plain result of the new principles involved in 
the doctrine of universal equality." 

" When the colonists first came to this country, of however 
mixed ingredients their ranks might have been composed, 
and however imbued with the spirit of feudal and aristocrat- 
ic ideas, the discipline of the wilderness soon brought them 
to a democratic level ; the gentleman felled the wood for his 
log-cabin side by side with the plowman, and thews and sin- 
ews rose in the market. *A man was deemed honorable in 
proportion as he lifted his hand upon the high trees of the 
forest.' So in the interior domestic circle, mistress and maid, 
living in a log-cabin together, became companions, and some- 
times the maid, as the one w^ell trained in domestic labor, 
took precedence of the mistress. It also became natural and 
unavoidable that children should begin to work as early as 
they were capable of it. 

"The result was a generation of intelligent people brought 



426 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

up to labor from necessity, but devoting to the problem of 
labor the acuteness of a disciplined brain. The mistress, 
outdone in sinews and muscles by her maid, kept her su- 
periority by skill and contrivance. If she could not lift a 
pail of water, she could invent methods which made lifting 
the pail unnecessary ; if she could not take a hundred steps 
w^ithout weariness, she could make twenty answer the pur- 
pose of a hundred. 

" Then were to be seen families of daughters, handsome, 
strong women, rising each day to their indoor w^ork with 
cheerful alertness — one to sweep the room, another to make 
the fire, while a third prepared the breakfast for the father 
and brothers who were going out to manly labor : and they 
chatted meanwhile of books, studies, embroidery ; discussed 
the last new poem, or some historical topic started by graver 
reading, or perhaps a rural ball that was to come olf next 
week. They spun with the book tied to the distafi"; they 
wove ; they did all manner of fine needle-work ; they made 
lace, painted flowers, and, in short, in the boundless con- 
sciousness of activity, invention, and perfect health, set them- 
selves to any work of which they had ever read or thought. 
A bride in those days w^as married with sheets and table- 
cloths of her own weaving, with counterpanes and toilet- 
covers wrought in divers embroidery by her own and her 
sisters' hands. The amount of fancy-work done in our days 
by girls who have nothing else to do wdll not equal what 
was done by those who performed, in addition, the whole 
work of the family. 

"In those former days most women were in good health, 
debility and disease being the exception. Then, too, was 
seen the economy of daylight and its pleasures. They w^ere 
used to early rising, and would not lie in bed if they could. 
Long years of practice made them familiar with the short- 
est, neatest, most expeditious method of doing every house- 
hold office, so that really, for the greater part of the time in 
the house, there seemed, to a looker-on, to be nothing to do. 
They rose in the morning and dispatched husband, father, 
and brothers to the farm or wood-lot ; went sociably about, 
chatting with each other, skimmed the milk, made the but- 



THE CARE OP SERVANTS. 427 

ter, and turned the cheeses. The forenoon was long ; all the 
so-called morning work over, they had leisure for an hour's 
sewing or reading before it was time to start the dinner prep- 
arations. By two o'clock the house-work was done, and 
they had the long afternoon for books, needle-work, or draw- 
ing — for perhaps there was one with a gift at her pencil. 
Perhaps one read aloud while others sewed, and managed in 
that way to keep up a great deal of reading. 

"It has been remarked in our armies that the men of culti- 
vation, though bred in delicate and refined spheres, can bear 
up under the hardships of camp-life better and longer than 
rough laborers. The reason is, that an educated mind knows 
how to use and save its body, to work it and spare it, as 
an uneducated mind can not ; and so the college-bred youth 
brings himself safely through fatigues which kill the unre- 
flective laborer. 

"Cultivated, intelligent women, who are brought up to do 
the work of their own families, are labor-saving institutions. 
They make the head save the wear of the muscles. By fore- 
thought, contrivance, system, and arrangement, they lessen 
the amount to be done, and do it with less expense of time 
and strength than others. The old New England motto, 
Get your worJc done up in the forenoon^ applied to an 
amount of work which Avould keep the most common Irish 
servant toiling from daylight to sunset. 

"Those remarkable women of old, in a measure, were made 
by circumstances. There were, comparatively speaking, no 
servants to be had, and so children were trained to habits 
of industry and mechanical adroitness from the cradle, and 
every household process was reduced to the very minimum 
of labor. Every step required in a process was counted, 
every movement calculated ; and she who took ten steps 
when one would do, lost her reputation for ' faculty.' Cer- 
tainly such an early drill was of use in developing the health 
and the bodily powers, as well as in giving precision to the 
practical mental faculties. All household economies were 
arranged with equal niceness in those thoughtful minds. A 
trained housekeeper knew just how many sticks of hickory 
of a certain size were required to heat her oven, and how 



428 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

many of each different kind of wood. She knew by a sort 
of intuition just what kinds of food would yield the most pal- 
atable nutriment with the least outlay of accessories in cook- 
insf. She knew to a minute the time when each article must 
go into and be withdrawn from her oven ; and if she could 
only lie in her chamber and direct, she could guide an intelli- 
gent child through the processes with mathematical certainty. 

" Now, if every young woman learned to do house-work, 
and cultivated her practical faculties in early life, she would, 
in the first place, be much more likely to keep her servants; 
and, in the second place, if she lost them temporarily, would 
avoid all that wear and tear of the nervous system which 
comes from constant ill -success in those departments on 
which family health and temper mainly depend. This is 
one of the peculiarities of our American life which require a 
peculiar training. Why not face it sensibly ? 

" Our land abounds in motorpathic institutions, to which 
women are sent, at a great expense, to have hired operators 
stretch and exercise their inactive muscles. They lie for 
hours to have their feet twigged, their arms flexed, and all 
the different muscles of the body worked for them, because 
they are so flaccid and torpid that the powers of life do not 
go on. Would it not be quite as cheerful, and a less ex- 
pensive process, if young girls from early life developed the 
muscles in sweeping, dusting, starching, ironing, and all the 
multiplied domestic processes which our grandmothers knew 
of? Does it not seem poor economy to pay servants for 
letting our muscles grow feeble, and then to pay operators 
to exercise them for us? I will venture to say that our 
grandmothers in a week went over every movement that 
any gymnast has invented, and went over them to some pro- 
ductive purpose too. 

" The first business of a housekeeper in America is that of 
a teacher. She can have a good table only by having prac- 
tical knowledge, and tact in imparting it. If she under- 
stands her business practically and experimentally, her eye 
detects at once the weak spot ; it requires only a little tact, 
some patience, some clearness in giving directions, and all 
comes right. 



THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 429 

" If we cany a watch to a watch-maker, and undertake to 
show him how to regulate the machinery, he laughs and 
goes on his own way ; but if a brother-machinist makes sug- 
gestions, he listens respectfully. So, when a woman who 
knows nothing of woman's work undertakes to instruct one 
who knows more than she does, she makes no impression ; 
but a woman who has been trained experimentally, and 
shows she understands the matter thoroughly, is listened to 
with respect. 

"Let a woman make her own bread for one month, and, 
simple as the process seems, it will take as long as that to 
get a thorough knowledge of all the possibilities in the case ; 
but after that, she will be able to command good bread by 
the aid of all sorts of servants ; in other words, will be a 
thoroughly-prepared teacher of bread-making. 

" Good servants do not often come to us ; they must be 
made by patience and training; and if a girl has a good 
disposition, and a reasonable degree of handiness, and the 
housekeeper understands her profession, a good servant may 
be made out of an indifferent one. Some of the best girls 
have been those who came directly from the ship, with no 
preparation but docility and some natural quickness. The 
hardest cases to be managed are not of those who have been 
taught nothing, but of those who have been taught wrongly 
— who come self-opinionated, with ways which are distaste- 
ful, and contrary to the genius of one's housekeeping. Such 
require that their mistress shall understand at least so much 
of the actual conduct of affairs as to jDrove to the servant that 
there are better ways than those in which she has been trained. 

"Domestic service is the great problem of life here in 
America ; the happiness of families, their thrift, well-being, 
and comfort, are more affected by this than by any one thing 
else. The modern girls, as they have been brought up, can 
not perform the labor of their own families as in those sim- 
pler, old-fashioned days ; and what is worse, they have no 
practical skill with which to instruct servants, who come to 
us, as a class, raw and untrained. In the present state of 
prices, the board of a domestic costs as much as her wages, 
and the waste she makes is a more serious matter still." 



430 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

It is sometimes urged against domestics that they exact 
exorbitant wages. But what is the rule of rectitude on this 
subject? Is it not the universal law of labor and of trade 
that an article is to be valued according to its scarcity and 
the demand ? When wheat is scarce, the farmer raises his 
price; and when a mechanic offers services difficult to be 
obtained, he makes a corresponding increase of price. And 
why is it not rio-ht for domestics to act according to a rule 
allowed to be correct in reference to all other trades and 
professions? It is a fact that really good domestic service 
must continue to increase in value just in proportion as this 
country waxes rich and prosperous ; thus making the pro- 
portion of those who wish to hire labor relatively greater, 
and the number of those willing to go to service less. 

Money enables the rich to gain many advantages which 
those of more limited circumstances can not secure. One 
of these is, securing good servants by offering high wages; 
and this, as the scarcity of this class increases, will serve 
constantly to raise the price of service. It is right for do- 
mestics to charge the market value, and this value is always 
decided by the scarcity of the article and the amount of 
demand. Right views of this subject will sometimes serve 
to diminish hard feelinsrs toward those who would otherwise 
be wrongfully regarded as unreasonable and exacting. 

Another complaint against servants is that of instability 
, and discontent, leading to perpetual change. But in refer- 
ence to this, let a mother or daughter conceive of their own 
circumstances as so changed that the daughter must go out 
to service. Suppose a place is engaged, and it is then found 
that she must sleep in a comfortless garret ; and that, when 
a new domestic comes — perhaps a coarse and dirty foreign- 
er — she must share her bed with her. Another place is of- 
fered, where she can have a comfortable room and an agree- 
able room-mate ; in such a case, would not both mother and 
daughter think it right to change ? 

Or suppose, on trial, it was found that the lady of the 
house was fretful or exacting, and hard to please, or that her 
children were so ungoverned as to be perpetual vexations ; 
or that the work was so heavy that no time was allowed for 



THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 431 

relaxation and the care of a wardrobe ; and another place 
offers where these evils can be escaped, would not mother 
and daughter here think it right to change ? And is it not 
right for domestics, as well as their employers, to seek places 
where they can be most comfortable ? 

In some cases, this instability and love of change would 
be remedied if employers would take more pains to make a 
residence with them agreeable, and to attach servants to the 
family by feelings of gratitude and affection. There are la- 
dies, even where well-qualified domestics are most rare, who 
seldom find any trouble in keeping good and steady ones. 
And the reason is that their servants know they can not 
better their condition by any change within reach. It is not 
merely by giving them comfortable rooms, and good food, 
and presents, and privileges, that the attachment of domes- 
tic servants is secured ; it is by the manifestation of a friend- 
ly and benevolent interest in their comfort and improvement. 
This is exhibited in bearing patiently with their faults; in 
kindly teaching them how to improve ; in showing them how 
to make and take proper care of their clothes ; in guarding 
their health ; in teaching them to read, if necessary, and sup- 
plying them with proper books ; and, in short, by endeavor- 
ing, so far as may be, to supply the place of parents. It is 
seldom that such a course would fail to secure steady serv- 
ice, and such affection and gratitude that even higher wages 
would be ineffectual to tempt them away. There would 
probably be some cases of ungrateful returns, but there is no 
doubt that the course indicated, if generally pursued, would 
very much lessen the evil in question. 

When servants are forward and "^bold in manners and dis- 
respectful in address, they may be considerately taught that 
those who are among the best-bred and genteel have court- 
eous and respectful manners and language to all they meet ; 
while many who have wealth are regarded as vulgar, be- 
cause they exhibit rude and disrespectful manners. The 
very terms gentleman and gentlewoman indicate the refine- 
ment and delicacy of address which distinguishes the high- 
bred from the coarse and vulgar. 

In regard to appropriate dress, in most cases it is diflScult 



432 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

for an employer to interfere directly with comments or ad- 
vice. The most successful mode is to offer some service in 
mending or making a wardrobe, and when a confidence in 
the kindness of feeling is thus gained, remarks and sugges- 
tions will generally be properly received, and new views of 
propriety and economy can be imparted. The knowledge 
which is so important to every woman, contained in the chap- 
ter on Clothing^ is as much needed in the kitchen as in the 
parlor. In some cases it may be well for an employer who, 
from appearances, anticipates difficulty of this kind, in mak- 
ing the preliminary contract or agreement, to state that she 
wishes to have the room, person, and dress of her servants 
kept neat and in order, and that she expects to remind them 
of their duty in this particular if it is neglected. Domes- 
tic servants are very apt to neglect the care of their own 
chambers and clothing ; and such habits have a most perni- 
cious influence on their well-being, and on that of their chil- 
dx*en, in future domestic life. An employer, then, is bound to 
exercise a parental care over them in these respects. 

There is one great mistake, not unfrequently made, in the 
management both of domestics and of children, and that is, 
in supposing that the way to cure defects is by finding fault 
as each failing occurs. But instead of this being true, in 
many cases the directly opposite course is the best; while 
in all instances much good judgment is required in order to 
decide when to notice faults and when to let them pass un- 
noticed. There are some minds very sensitive, easily dis- 
couraged, and infirm of purpose. Such persons, when they 
have formed habits of negligence, haste, and awkwardness, 
often need expressions of sympathy and encouragement 
rather than reproof. They have usually been found fault 
with so much that they have become either hardened or de- 
sponding ; and it is often the case that a few words of com- 
mendation will awaken fresh efforts and renewed hope. In 
almost every case, words of kindness, confidence, and en- 
couragement should be mingled with the needful admoni- 
tions or reproof 

It is a good rule, in reference to this point, to forewarn 
instead of finding fault. Thus, when a thing has been done 



THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 433 

wrong, let it pass unnoticed till it is to be done again ; and 
then a simple request to have it done in the right way will 
secure quite as much, and probably more, willing effort, than 
a reproof administered for neglect. Some persons seem to 
take it for granted that young and inexperienced minds are 
bound to have all the forethought and discretion of mature 
persons, and freely express wonder and disgust when mis- 
haps occur for want of these traits. But it would be far 
better to save from mistake or forgetfulness by previous 
caution and care on the part of those who have gained ex- 
perience and forethought; and thus many occasions of com- 
plaint and ill-humor will be avoided. 

Those who fill the places of heads of families are not very 
apt to think how painful it is to be chided for neglect of 
duty, or for faults of character. If they would sometimes 
imagine themselves in the place of those whom they control, 
with some person daily administering reproof to them in the 
same tone mid style as they employ to those who are under 
them, it might serve as a useful check to their chidings. It is 
often the case that persons who are most strict and exacting, 
and least able to make allowances and receive palliations, are 
themselves peculiarly sensitive to any thing which implies 
that they are in fault. By such, the spirit implied in the Di- 
vine petition, " Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those 
who trespass against us," needs especially to be cherished. 

One other consideration is very important. There is no 
duty more binding on Christians than that of patience and 
meekness under provocations and disappointment. Now 
the tendency of every sensitive mind, when thwarted in its 
wishes, is to complain and find fault, and that often in tones 
of fretfulness or anger. But there are few servants who 
have not heard enough of the Bible to know that angry or 
fretful fault-finding from the mistress of a family, when her 
work is not done to suit her, is not in agreement with the 
precepts of Christ. They notice and feel the inconsistency ; 
and every woman, when she gives way to feelings of anger 
and impatience at the faults of those around her, lowers her- 
self in their respect ; while her own conscience, unless very 
much blinded, can not but suffer a wound. 

19 



434 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

" »Ve can not in this country maintain to any great ex- 
tent large retinues of servants. Even with ample fortunes, 
they are forbidden by the general character of society 
here, which makes them cumbrous and difficult to man- 
age. Every mistress of a family knows that her cares in- 
crease with every additional servant. Trained housekeep- 
ers, such as regulate the complicated establishments of the 
Old World, form a class that are not, and from the nature of 
the case never will be, found in any great numbers in this 
country. All such women, as a general thing, are keeping, 
and prefer to keep, houses of their own. 

"A moderate style of housekeeping, small, compact, and 
simple domestic establishments, must necessarily be the gen- 
eral order of life in America. So many openings of profit 
are to be found in this country, that domestic service nec- 
essarily wants the permanence which forms so agreeable a 
feature of it in the Old World. 

"Again, American women must not try with three serv- 
ants to carry on life in the style which in the Old World 
requires sixteen. They must thoroughly understand, and bo 
prepared to teach, every branch of housekeeping ; they, must 
study to make domestic service desirable, by treating their 
servants in a way to lead them to respect themselves, and 
to feel themselves respected ; and there will gradually be 
evolved from the present confusion a solution of the domes- 
tic problem which shall be adapted to the life of a new "and 
growing world." 

It is sometimes the case that the constant change of do- 
mestics, and the liability thus to have dishonest ones, makes 
it needful to keep stores under lock and key. This measure 
is often very offensive to those who are hired, as it is regard- 
ed by them as an evidence both of closeness and of suspicio?i 
of their honesty. 

In such cases it is a good plan, when first making an 
agreement with a domestic, to state the case in this way : 
that you have had dishonest persons in the family, and that 
when theft is committed, it is always a cause of disquiet to 
honest persons, because it exposes them to suspicion. You 
can then state your reasons as twofold: one to protect 



THE CAKE OF SERVANTS. 435 

yourself from pilfering when you take entire strangers', and 
the other is to protect honest persons from being suspected. 
When the matter is thus presented at first hiring a person, 
no offense will be taken afterward. 

There is one rule which every housekeeper will find of 
incalculable value, not only in the case of domestics, but in 
the management of children, and that is, never to find fault 
at the thne that a wrong thing is done. Wait until you are 
unexcited yourself, and until the vexation of the offender is 
also past, and then, when there is danger of a similar offense, 
forewarn^ and point out the evils already done for want of 
proper care in this respect. 

Success in the management of domestics very much de- 
pends upon the manners of a housekeeper toward them. 
And here two extremes are to be avoided. One is a severe 
and imperious mode of giving orders and finding fault, which 
is inconsistent both with lady-like good breeding and with 
a truly amiable character. Few domestics, especially Ameri-^ 
can domestics, will long submit to it, and many a good one 
has been lost, simply by the influence of this unfortunate 
manner. The other extreme is apt to result from the great 
difficulty of retaining good domestics. In cas'es where this 
is experienced, there is a liability of becoming so fearful of 
displeasing one who is found to be good, that, imperceptibly, 
the relation is changed, and the domestic becomes the mis- 
tress. A housekeeper thus described this change in one 
whom she hired : " The first year she was an excellent serv- 
ant ; the second year she was a kind mistress ; the third 
year she was an intolerable tyrant !" 

There is no domestic so good that she will not be injured 
by perceiving that, through dependence ujDon her, and a fear 
of losing her services, the mistress of the family gives up her 
proper authority and control. 

The happy medium is secured by a course of real kind- 
ness in manner and treatment, attended with the manifesta- 
tion of a calm determination that the plans and will of the 
housekeeper, and not of the domestic, shall control the fam- 
ily arrangements. 

When a good domestic first begins to insist that her views 



436 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEAI.THKEEPER. 

find notions shall be regarded rather than those of the house- 
keeper, a kind but firm stand must be taken. A frank con- 
versation should be sought at a time when nothing has oc- 
curred to rufiie the temper on either side. Then the house- 
keeper can inquire what would be the view taken of this 
matter in case the domestic herself should become a house- 
keeper and hire a person to help her; and when the matter 
is set before her mind in this light, let the " golden rule " be 
applied, and ask her whether she is not disposed to render 
to her present employer what she herself would ask from a 
domestic in similar circumstances. 

Much trouble of this kind is saved by hiring persons on 
trial, in order to ascertain whether they are willing and able 
to do the work of the family in the manner which the house- 
keeper wishes; and in this case some member of the family 
can go around for a day or two, and show how every thing 
is to be done. 

There is no department of domestic life where a woman's 
temper and patience are so sorely tried as in the incompe- 
tence and constant changes of domestics ; and therefore 
there is no place where a reasonable and Christian woman 
will be more watchful, careful, and conscientious. 

The cultivation of patience will be much promoted by 
keeping in mind these considerations in reference to the in- 
competence and other failings of those who are hired. 

In the first place, consider that the great object of life to 
us is not enjoyment, but the formation of a right character; 
that such a character can not be formed except by discipline, 
and that the trials and difficulties of domestic life, if met in 
a proper spirit and manner, will in the end prove blessings 
rather than evils, by securing a measure of elevation, dig- 
nity, patience, self-control, and benevolence, that could be 
gained by no other methods. The comfort gained by these 
virtues, and the rewards they bring, both in this and in a 
future life, are a thousand-fold richer than the easy, indolent 
life of indulgence which we should choose for ourselves. 

In the next place, instead of allowing the mind to dwell 
on the faults of those who minister to our comfort and con- 
venience, cultivate a habit of making every possible benevo- 



THE CAKE OF SERVANTS. 437 

lent allowance and palliation. Say to yourself, " Poor girl! 
she has never been instructed either by parents or employ- 
ers. Nobody has felt any interest in the formation of her 
habits, or kindly sought to rectify her faults. Why should 
I expect her to do those things well which no one has taken 
any care to teach her ? She has no parent or friend now to 
aid her but myself. Let me bear her faults patiently, and 
kindly try to cure them." 

If a woman w- ill cultivate the spirit expressed in such lan- 
guage, if she w411 benevolently seek the best good of those 
she employs, if she will interest herself in giving them in- 
struction if they need it, and good books to read if they are 
already qualified to understand them, if she will manifest a 
desire to have them made comfortable in the kitchen and 
in their chambers, she certainly will receive her reward, and 
that in many ways. She will be improving her own charac- 
ter, she will set a good example to her family, and, in the 
end, she will do something, and in some cases much, to im- 
prove the character and services of those whom she hires. 
And the good done in this way goes down from generation 
to generation, and goes also into the eternal world, to be 
known and rejoiced in when every earthly good has come 
to an end. 

In some portions of our country, the great influx of for- 
eigners of another language and another faith, and the ready 
entrance they find as domestics into American families, im- 
pose peculiar trials and peculiar duties on American house- 
keepers. In reference to such, it is no less our interest than 
our duty to cultivate a spirit of kindness, patience, and sym- 
pathy. 

Especially should this be manifested in reference to their 
religion. How^ever wrong, or however pernicious w'e may 
regard their system of faith, we should remember that they 
have been trained to believe that it is w^hat God commands 
them to obey ; and so long as they do believe this, we should 
respect them for their conscientious scruples, and not try 
to tempt them to do wiiat they suppose to be wrong. If 
we lead an ignorant and feeble mind to do what it believes 
to be wrong in regard to the most sacred of all duties, 



438 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

those owed to God, how can we expect them to be faithful 
to us ? 

The only lawful way to benefit those whom we regard as 
in an error is, not to tempt them to do what they believe to 
be wrong, but to give them the light of knowledge, so that 
they may be qualified to judge for themselves. And the 
way to make them willing to receive this light is to be kind 
to them. We should take care that their feelings and prej- 
udices should in no way be abused, and that they be treat- 
ed as we should wish to be if thrown as strangers into a 
strange land, among a people of difierent customs and faith, 
and away from parents, home, and friends. 

Remember that our Master who is in heaven especially 
claims to be the God of the widow, the fatherless, and the 
stranger^ and has commanded, " If a stranger sojourn with 
you in your land, ye shall not vex him ; but the stranger 
that dwelleth among you shall be unto you as one born 
among you, and thou shcilt love him as thyself.'^'* 

Mrs. Stowe says: "We are far from recommending any 
controversial interference with the religious faith of our serv- 
ants. It is far better to incite them to be good Christians in 
their own way, than to run the risk of shaking their faith in 
all religion by pointing out to them what seem to us the er- 
rors of that in which they have been educated. The general 
purity of life and j^ropriety of demeanor of so many thousands 
' of undefended young girls cast yearly upon our shores, with 
no home but their church, and no shield but their religion, 
are a sufiScient proof that this religion exerts an influence 
over them not to be lightly trifled with. But there is a real 
unity even in opposite Christian forms ; and the Roman Cath- 
olic servant and the Protestant mistress, if alike possessed by 
the spirit of Christ, and striving to conform to the Golden 
Rule, can not help being one in heart, though one go to 
mass and the other to meeting." 

To this testimony of her sister the author adds some re- 
sults of her observations as a resident or visitor among a 
wide circle of personal and family friends. The Christian 
care exercised by the Catholic priesthood over family serv- 
ants deserves grateful notice, while the pure and wise in- 



THE CARE OF SERVANTS. 439 

structions contained in the manuals of devotion used at j^ub- 
lic and private worship by this class, in many respects, are a 
model of excellence. As one illustration of the good fruits, 
the author, for a portion of each of the last ten years, has 
boarded in the family of her physician. Dr. G. H. Taylor. 
Here not less than twelve Irish Catholic girls usually fre- 
quent the Sunday early mass when most people are asleep. 
In this family neither her trunk, drawers, or door were ever 
locked, and yet never an article has been lost or stolen. And 
among her many friends it is this class who, with occasional 
exceptions, have been unsurpassed in faithful and affection- 
ate service. 

True, much has been owing to the happy management and 
wise care of Christian housekeepers, who in the life to come 
will reap the rewards of their faithful labors. A time is 
coming when American housekeepers will better understand 
their high privileges as chief ministers of the family state. 
Then it will no longer be a cause of discontent that a well- 
trained and faithful servant is withdrawn to bless another 
familv, or to rear one of her own. Rather it will be seen 
that the Christian woman's kitchen is a training-school of 
good servants, where ignorant heathen come to be guided 
heavenward, and prepared to rear healthful and Christian 
families of their own. Then the young daughters will aid 
the mother in this Home Mission, and, by imparting their ac- 
quired advantages to Christ's neglected ones, will learn with 
thankfulness how much " more blessed it is to give than to 
receive." 



440 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 

Whenever the laws of body and mind are properly un- 
derstood, it will be allowed that every person needs some 
kind of recreation ; and that, by seeking it, the body is 
strengthened, the mind is invigorated, and all our duties are 
more cheerfully and successfully performed. 

Children, whose bodies are rapidly growing and whose 
nervous system is tender and excitable, need much more 
amusement than persons of mature age. Persons, also, who 
are oppressed with great responsibilities and duties, or who 
are taxed by great intellectual or moral excitement, need 
r.ecreations which physically exercise and draw off the mind 
from absorbing interests. Unfortunately, such persons are 
those who least resort to amusements ; while the idle, gay, 
and thoughtless seek those which are not needed, and for 
which useful occupation would be a most benefical substi- 
tute. 

As the only legitimate object of amusement is to prepare 
mind and body for the proper discharge of duty, the pro- 
tracting of such as interfere with regular employments, or 
induce excessive fatigue, or w^eary the mind, or invade the 
proper hours for repose, must be sinful. 

In deciding what should be selected, and what avoided, 
the following are guiding principles: In the first place, no 
amusements which inflict needless pain should ever be al- 
lowed. All tricks which cause fright or vexation, and all 
sports which involve suffering to animals, should be utterly 
forbidden. Hunting and fishing, for mere sport, can never 
be justified. If a man can convince his children that he 
follows these pursuits to gain food or health, and not for 
amusement, his example may not be very injurious. But 
when children see grown persons kill and frighten animals 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 441 

for sport, habits of cruelty, rather than feelings of tenderness 
and benevolence, are cultivated. 

In the next place, we should seek no recreations which 
endanger life, or interfere with important duties. As the 
legitimate object of amusements is to promote health and 
prepare for some serious duties, selecting those Avhich have a 
directly opposite tendency can not be justified. Of course, 
if a person feels that the previous day's diversion has short- 
ened the hours of needful repose, or induced a lassitude of 
mind or body, instead of invigorating them, it is certain that 
an evil has been done which should never be repeated. 

Another rule which has been extensively adopted in the 
religious world is, to avoid those amusements which experi- 
ence has shown to be so exciting, and connected with so 
many temptations, as to be pernicious in tendency, both to 
the individual and to the community. It is on this ground 
that horse-racing and circus -riding have been exclu(^d. 
Not because there is any thing positively wrong in having 
men and horses run and perform feats of agility, or in per- 
sons looking on for the diversion; but because experience 
has shown so many evils connected with these recreations, 
that they should be relinquished until properly regulated. 
So with theatres. The enacting of characters and the 
amusement thus afforded in themselves may be harmless, 
and possibly, in certain cases, might be useful ; but experi- 
ence has shown so many evils to result from this source, that 
it has been deemed wrong to patronize it till these evils are 
removed. 

Under the same head comes dancing, in the estimation of 
the great majority of the religious world. Still, there are 
many intelligent, excellent, and conscientious persons who 
hold a contrary opinion. Such maintain that it is an inno- 
cent and healthful amusement, tending to promote ease of 
manners, cheerfulness, social affection, and health of mind 
and body ; that evils are involved only in its excess ; that, 
like food, study, or religious excitement, it is only wrong 
when not properly regulated ; and that if serious and intelli- 
gent people would strive to regulate, rather than banish, this 
amusement, much more good would be secured. 

19* 



442 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

On the other side, it is objected, not that dancing is a sin, 
in itself considered, for it was once a part of sacred worship; 
not that it would be objectionable, if it were properly regu- 
lated ; not that it does not tend, when used in a proper man- 
ner, to health of body and mind, to grace of manners, and to 
social enjoyment : all these things are conceded. But it is 
objected to, on the same ground as horse-racing and theat- 
rical entertainments ; that we are to look at amusements as 
they are, and not as they might be. Horse-races might be 
so managed as not to involve cruelty, gambling, drunken- 
ness, and other vices. And so might theatres. And if seri- 
ous and intelligent persons undertook to regulate them, per- 
haps they would be somewhat raised from the depths to 
which they have sunk. But with the weak sense of moral 
obligation existing in the mass of society, and the imperfect 
ideas mankind have of the proper use of amusements, and 
th% little self-control which men or women or children prac- 
tice, these will not, in fact, be thus regulated. 

And dancing is believed to be liable to the same objec- 
tions. As this recreation is actually conducted, it does not 
tend to produce health of body or mind, but directly the 
contrary. If young and old went out to dance together in 
open air, as the French peasants do, it would be a very dif- 
ferent sort of amusement from that which often is witnessed 
in a room furnished with many lights and filled with guests — 
both destroying the healthful part of the atmosphere, where 
the young collect, in their tightest dresses, to protract for 
several hours a kind of physical exertion which is not habit- 
ual to them. During this process, the blood is made to cir- 
culate more swiftly than usual, in circumstances where it is 
less perfectly oxygenized than health requires; the pores of 
the skin are excited by heat and exercise ; the stomach is 
loaded with indigestible articles, and the quiet needful to 
digestion withheld ; the diversion is protracted beyond the 
usual hour for repose ; and then, when the skin is made the 
most highly susceptible to damps and miasms, the company 
pass from a warm room to the cold night-air. It is proba- 
ble that no single amusement can be pointed out combining 
so many injurious particulars as this, which is so often de- 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 443 

fended as a healthful one. Even if parents who train their 
children to dance can keep them from public balls, (which is 
seldom the case,) dancing, as ordinarily conducted in private 
parlors, in most cases is subject to nearly the same mischiev- 
ous influences. 

The spirit of Christ is that of self-denying benevolence ; 
and his great aim, by his teachings and example, was to 
train his followers to avoid all that should lead to sin, espe- 
cially in regard to the weaker ones of his family. Yet he 
made wine at a wedding, attended a social feast on the Sab- 
bath,* reproved excess of strictness in Sabbath-keeping gen- 
erally, and forbade no safe and innocent enjoyment. In fol- 
lowing his example, the rulers of the family, then, will intro- 
duce the most highly exciting amusements only in circum- 
stances where there are such strong principles and habits of 
self-control that the enjoyment will not involve sin in the 
actor or needless temptation to the weak. 

The course pursued by our Puritan ancestors, in the period 
succeeding their first perils amidst sickness and savages, is 
an example that may safely be practiced at the present day. 
The young of both sexes w^ere educated together in the high- 
er branches, in country acaclemies; and very often the closing 
exercises were theatricals, in which the pupils were perform- 
ers, and their pastors, elders, and parents, the audience. So 
at social gatherings, the dance was introduced before minis- 
ter and wife, with smiling approval. The roaring fires and 
broad chimneys provided pure air, and the nine o'clock bell 
ended the festivities that gave new vigor and zest to life, 
while the dawn of the next day's light saw all at their posts 
of duty, with heartier strength and blither spirits. 

No indecent or unhealthful costumes ofiended the eye, no 
half-naked dancers of dubious morality were sustained in a 
life of dangerous excitement, by the money of Christian peo- 
ple, for the mere amusement of their night hours. No shiv- 
ering drivers were deprived of comfort and sleep, to carry 
home the midnight followers of fashion ; nor was the quiet 

and comfort of servants in hundreds of dwellings invaded 

» 

* Luke xvi. In reading this passage, please notice what kind of guests 
are to be invited to the feast that Jesus Christ recommends. 



444 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

for the mere amusement of their superiors in education and 
advantages. The command " we that are strong, ought to 
bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our- 
selves," was in those days not reversed. Had the drama 
and the dance continued to be regulated by the rules of 
temperance, health, and Christian benevolence, as in the 
days of our forefathers, they would not have been so gener- 
ally banished from the religious world. And the question 
is now being discussed, whether they can be so regulated at 
the present time as not to violate the laws either of health 
or benevolence.* 

In regard to home amusements, card-playing is now in- 
dulged in by many conscientious families from which it for- 
merly was excluded, and for these reasons: it is claimed 
that this is a quiet home amusement, w^hich unites pleasant- 
ly the aged with the young ; that it is not now employed in 
respectable society for gambling, as it formerly was; that 
to some young minds it is a peculiarly fascinating game, and 
should be first practiced under the parental care, till the ex- 
citement of novelty is passed, thus rendering the danger to 
children less when going into the w^orld ; and, finally, that 
habits of self-control in exciting circumstances may and 
should be thus cultivated in the safety of home. Many par- 
ents who have taken this course with their sons in early life 
believe that it has proved rather a course of safety than of 
danger. Still, as there is great diversity of opjinion among 
persons of equal worth and intelligence, a mutual spirit of 
candor and courtesy should be practiced. The sneer at big- 
otry and narrowness of views, on one side, and the unchari- 
table implication of want of piety, or sense, on the other, are 
equally ill-bred and unchristian. Truth on this subject is 
best promoted, not by ill-natured crimination and rebuke, but 
by calm reason, generous candor, forbearance, and kindness. 

* Fanny Kemble Butler remarked to the writer that she regarded theatres 
wrong, chiefly because of the injury involved to the actors. Can a Christian 
mother contribute money to support young women in a profession from which 
she would protect her own daughter, as from degradation, and that, too, sim- 
ply for the amusement of herself and family ? "Would this be following the 
self-sacrificing benevolence of Christ and his apostles ? 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 445 

There is another species of amusement, which a large por- 
tion of the religious world formerly put under the same con- 
demnation as the preceding. This is novel-reading. The 
confusion and difference of opinion on this subject liave 
arisen from a want of clear and definite distinctions. Now, 
as it is impossible to define what are novels and what are 
not, so as to include one class of fictitious writinors and ex- 
elude every other, it is impossible to lay down any rule re- 
specting them. The discussion, iii fact, turns on the use of 
those works of imagination which belong to the class of fic- 
titious narratives. That this species of reading is not only 
lawful, but necessary and useful, is settled by divine exam- 
ples, in the parables and allegories of Scripture. Of course, 
the question must be, what kind of fabulous writings must 
be avoided, and what allowed. 

In deciding this, no specific rules can be given : but it 
must be a matter to be regulated by the nature and circum- 
stances of each case. No works of fiction which tend to 
throw the allurements of taste and genius around vice and 
crime should ever be tolerated; and all that tend to give 
false views of life and duty should also be banished. Of 
those which are written for mere amusement, presenting 
scenes and events that are interesting, and exciting and hav- 
ing no bad moral influence, much must depend on the char- 
acter and circumstances of the reader. Some minds are tor- 
pid and phlegmatic, and need to have the imagination stim- 
ulated : such would be benefited by this kind of reading. 
Others have quick and active imaginations, and would be as 
much injured by excess. Some persons are often so engaged 
in absorbing interest, that any thing innocent, which will for 
a short time draw off the mind, is of the nature of a medi- 
cine ; and in such cases this kind of reading is useful. 

There is need, also, that some men should keep a super- 
vision of the current literature of the day, as guardians, to 
Avarn others of danger. For this purpose, it is more suitable 
for editors, clergymen, and teachers to read indiscriminately, 
than for any other class of persons ; for they are the guard- 
ians of the public weal in matters of literature, and should 
be prepared to advise parents and young persons of the evils 



446 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

in one direction, and of the good in another. In doing this, 
however, they are bound to go on the same principles which 
regulate physicians when they visit infected districts — using 
every precaution to prevent injury to themselves; having as 
little to do with pernicious exposures as a benevolent re- 
gard to others will allow ; and faithfully employing all the 
knowledge and opportunities thus gained for warning and 
preserving others. There is much danger, in taking this 
course, that men will seek the excitement of the imagination 
for the mere pleasure it affords, under the plea of preparing 
to serve the public, when this is neither the aim nor the 
result. 

In regard to the use of such works by the young, as a 
general rule, they ought not to be allowed to any except 
those of a dull and phlegmatic temperament, until the solid 
parts of education are secured and a taste for more elevated 
reading is acquired. If these stimulating condiments in lit- 
erature be freely used in youth, all relish for more solid 
reading will in a majority of cases be destroyed. If par- 
ents succeed in securing habits of cheerful and implicit obe- 
dience, it will be very easy to regulate this matter, by pro- 
hibiting the reading of any story-book until the consent of 
the parent is obtained. 

The most successful mode of forming a taste for suitable 
reading, is for parents to select interesting works of history 
and travels, with maps and pictures suited to the age and 
attainments of the young, and spend an hovir or two each 
day or evening in aiming to make truth as interesting as 
fiction. Whoever has once tried this method will find that 
the uninjured mind of childhood is better satisfied with 
what they know is true, when wisely presented, than with 
the most exciting novels, which they know are false. 

Perhaps there has been some just ground of objection to 
the course often pursued by parents in neglecting to pro- 
vide suitable and agreeable substitutes for the amusements 
denied. But there is a great abundance of safe, healthful, 
and delightful recreations, Avhich all parents may secure for 
their children. Some of these will here be j^ointed out. 

One of the most useful and important is the cultivation 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 447 

of flowers and fruits. This, especially for the daughters of 
a family, is greatly promotive of health and amusement. 
Many young ladies, whose habits are now so formed that 
they can never be induced to a course of active domestic 
exercise so long as their parents are able to hire domestic 
service, may yet be led to an employment which will tend 
to secure health and vigor of constitution, by fruits and 
flowers. 

It would be a most desirable improvement, if all schools 
for young women could be furnished wdth suitable grounds 
and instruments for the cultivation of fruits and flowers, 
and every inducement ofiered to engage the pupils in this 
pursuit. No father who wishes to have his daughters grow 
up to be healthful women can take a surer method to secure 
this end. Let him set apart a portion of his ground for 
fruits and flowers, and see that the soil is well prepared and 
dug over, and all the rest may be committed to the care of 
the children. These would need to be provided with a light 
hoe and rake, a dibble or garden trowel, a watering-pot, and 
means and opportunities for securing seeds, roots, bulbs, 
buds, and grafts, all which might be done at a trifling ex- 
pense. Then, w^ith proper encouragement and by the aid of 
a few intelligible and practical directions, every man w'ho 
has even half an acre could secure a small Eden around his 
premises. 

In pursuing this amusement children can also be led to 
acquire many useful habits. Early rising would, in many 
cases, be thus secured; and if they were required to keep 
their walks and borders free from weeds and rubbish, habits 
of order and neatness would be induced. Benevolent and 
social feelings could also be cultivated, by influencing chil- 
dren to share their fruits and flowers with friends and neigh- 
bors, as well as to distribute roots and seeds to those who 
have not the means of procuring them. A woman or a child, 
by giving seeds or slips or roots to a washerwoman, or a 
farmer's boy, thus inciting them to love and cultivate fruits 
and flowers, awakens a new and refining source of enjoyment 
in minds which have few resources more elevated than mere 
physical enjoyments. Our Saviour directs us, in making 



448 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

feasts, to call, not the rich, who can recompense again, but 
the poor, who can make no returns. So children should be 
tauo-ht to dispense their little treasures not alone to compan- 
ions and friends, who will probably return similar favors, 
but to those w^ho have no means of making any return. If 
the rich, who acquire a love for the enjoyments of taste and 
have the means to gratify it, would aim to extend among 
the poor the cheap and simple enjoyment of fruits and flow- 
ers, our country would soon literally " blossom as the rose." 

If the ladies of a neighborhood would unite small contri- 
butions, and send a list of flower-seeds and roots to some re- 
spectable and honest florist, who would not be likely to turn 
them off with trash, they could divide these among them- 
selves and their poor neighbors, so as to secure an abundant 
variety at a very small ex]3ense. A bag of flower-seeds, 
which can be obtained at wholesale for four cents, would 
abundantly supply a whole neighborhood ; and, by the gath- 
ering of seeds in the autumn, could be perpetuated. 

Another very elevating and delightful recreation for the 
young is found in music. Here the writer would protest 
against the practice, common in many families, of having 
the daughters learn to play on the piano, whether they have 
a taste and an ear for music or not. A young lady who 
does not sing well, and has no great fondness for music, does 
nothing but waste time, money, and patience in learning to 
play on the piano. But all children can be taught to sing 
in early childhood, if the scientific mode of teaching music 
in schools could be more widely introduced, as it is in Prus- 
sia, Germany, and Switzerland. Then young children could 
read and sing music as easily as they can read language; 
and might take any tune, dividing themselves into bands, 
and sing off at sight the endless variety of music which is 
prepared. And if parents of wealth would take pains to 
have teachers qualified for the purpose, who should teach all 
the young children in the community, much would be done 
for the happiness and elevation of the rising generation. 
This is an element of education which we are glad to know 
is, year by year, more extensively and carefully cultivated ; 
and it is not only a means of culture, but also an amusement, 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 449 

wliicli cliildren relish in the highest degree ; and which they 
can enjoy at home, in the fields, and in visits abroad. 

Another domestic amusement is the collecting of shells, 
plants, and specimens in geology and mineralogy, for the 
formation of cabinets. If intelligent parents would procure 
the simpler works which have been prepared for the young, 
and study them with their children, a taste for such recrea- 
tions would soon be developed. The writer has seen young 
boys of eight and ten years of age gathering and cleaning 
shells from rivers, and collecting plants and mineralogical 
specimens, with a delight bordering on ecstasy ; and there 
are few, if any, who by proper influences Avould not find this 
a source of ceaseless delight and improvement. 

Another resource for family diversion is to be found in 
the various games played by children, and in which the 
joining of older members of the family is always a great ad- 
vantage to both parties, especially those in the open air. 
All medical men unite in declaring that nothing is more 

laeneficial to health than hearty laughter; and surely our 
benevolent Creator would not have provided risibles, and 
made it a source of health and enjoyment to use them, if it 
were a sin so to do. There has been a tendency to asceti- 
cism on this subject, which needs to be removed. Such 
commands as forbid foolish laughing and jesting, "^^A^c/t 

'are not convenient i^"* and which forbid all idle words and 
vain conversation, can not apply to any thing except what 
is foolish, vain, and useless. But jokes, laughter, and sports, 
when used in such a degree as tends only to promote health 
and happiness, are neither vain, foolish, or " not conven- 
ient." It is the excess of these things, and not the moder- 
ate use of them, which Scripture forbids. The prevailing 
temper of the mind should be serious, yet cheerful ; and 
there are times when relaxation and laughter are not only 
proper, but necessary and right for all. There is nothing 
better for this end than that parents and older persons 
should join in the sports of childhood. Mature minds can 
always make such diversions more entertaining to children, 
and can exert a healthful moral influence over their minds ; 
and at the same time can gain exercise and amusement for 



450 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

themselves. How lamentable that so many fathers, who 
could be thus useful and happy with their children, throw 
away sucli opportunities, and wear out soul and body in the 
pursuit of gain or fame ! 

Another resource for children is the exercise of mechan- 
ical skill. Fathers, by providing tools for their boys, and 
showing them how to make wheelbarrows, carts, sleds, and 
various other articles, contribute both to the physical, moral, 
and social improvement of their children. And in regard 
to little daughters, much more can be done in this way than 
many would imagine. The writer, blessed with the exam- 
ple of a most ingenious and industrious mother, had not only 
learned before the age of twelve to make dolls, of various 
sorts and sizes, but to cut and fit and sew every article that 
belongs to a doll's wardrobe. This, w^hich was done for 
mere amusement, secured such a facility in meclianical pur- 
suits, that ever afterward the cutting and fitting of any ar- 
ticle of dress, for either sex, was accomplished with entire 
ease. 

When a little girl begins to sew, her mother can promise 
her a small bed and pillow, as soon as she has sewed a patch 
quilt for them ; and then a bedstead, as soon as she has 
sewed the sheets and cases for pillows; and then a large 
doll to dress, as soon as she has made the under-garments ; 
and thus go on till the whole contents of the baby-house are 
earned by the needle and skill of its little owner. Thus the 
task of learning to sew will become a pleasure ; and every 
new toy will be earned by useful exertion. A little girl 
can be taught, by the aid of patterns prepared for the pur- 
pose, to cut and fit all articles necessary for her doll. She 
can also be provided with a little wash-tub and irons, and 
thus keep in proper order a complete miniature domestic 
establishment. 

Besides these recreations, there are the enjoyments se- 
cured in walking, riding, visiting, and many other employ- 
ments which need not be recounted. Children, if trained to 
be healthful and industrious, will never fail to discover re- 
sources of amusement; while their guardians should lend 
their aid to guide and restrain them from excess. 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 451 

There is need of a very great change of opinion and prac- 
tice in this nation, in regard to tlie subject of social and do- 
mestic duties. Many sensible and conscientious men spend 
all their time abroad in business, except perhaps an hour or 
so at night, when they are so fatigued as to be unfitted for 
any social or intellectual enjoyment. And some of the most 
conscientious men in the country will add to their profes- 
sional business public or benevolent enterprises, which de- 
mand time, effort, and money ; and then excuse themselves 
for neglecting all care of their children, and efforts for their 
own intellectual improvement, or for the improvement of 
their families, by the plea that they have no time for it. 

All this arises from the w^ant of correct notions of the 
binding obligation of our social and domestic duties. The 
main object of life is not to secure the various gratifications 
of appetite or taste, but to form such a character, for our- 
selves and others, as w^ill secure the greatest amount of pres- 
ent and future happiness. It is of far more consequence, 
then, that parents should be intelligent, social, affectionate, 
and agreeable at home and to their friends, than that they 
should earn money enough to live in a large house and have 
handsome furniture. It is far more needful for children that 
a father should attend to the formation of their character 
and habits, and aid in developing their social, intellectual, 
and moral nature, than it is that he should earn money to 
furnish them with handsome clothes and a variety of tempt- 
ing food. 

It will be -wise for those parents who find little time to 
attend to their children, or to seek amusement and enjoy- 
ment in the domestic and social circle, because their time is 
so much occupied with public cares or benevolent objects, 
to inquire whether their first duty is not to train up their 
owm families to be useful members of society. A man who 
neglects the mind and morals of his children to take care of 
the public, is in great danger of coming under a similar con- 
demnation to that of him who, neglecting to provide for his 
own household, has " denied the faith, and is worse than an 
infidel." 

There are husbands and fathers who conscientiously sub- 



452 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

tract time from tlieir business to spend at home, ifl reading 
with their wives and children, and in domestic amusements 
which at once refresh and improve. The children of such 
parents will grow up with a love of home and kindred which 
will be the greatest safeguard against future temptations, 
as well as the purest source of earthly enjoyment. 

There are families, also, who make it a definite object to 
keep up family attachments after the children are scattered 
abroad, and in some cases secure the means for doing this 
by saving money which would otherwise have been spent 
for superfluities of food or dress. Some families have adopt- 
ed, for this end, a practice which, if widely imitated, would 
be productive of much enjoyment. The method is this : On 
the first day of each month, some member of the family, at 
each extreme point of dispersion, takes a folio sheet, and fills 
a part of a page. This is sealed and mailed to the next 
family, who read it, add another contribution, and then mail 
it to the next. Thus the family circular, once a month, goes 
from each extreme to all the members of a widely-dispersed 
family, and each member becomes a sharer in the joys, sor- 
rows, plans, and pursuits of all the rest. At the same time, 
frequent family meetings are sought; and the expense thus 
incurred is cheerfully met by retrenchments in other direc- 
tions. The sacrifice of some unnecessary physical indul- 
gence will often purchase many social and domestic enjoy- 
ments, a thousand times more elevating and delightful than 
the retrenched luxury. 

There is no social duty which the Supreme Lawgiver 
more strenuously urges than hospitality and kindness to 
strangers, who are classed with the widow and the father- 
less as the special objects of Divine tenderness. There are 
some reasons why this duty peculiarly demands attention 
from the American people. 

Reverses of fortune, in this land, are so frequent and un- 
expected, and the habits of the people are so migratory, that 
there are very many in every part of the country who, hav- 
ing seen all their temporal plans and hopes crushed, are now 
pining among strangers, bereft of wonted comforts, without 
friends, and without the sympathy and society so needful 



DOMESTIC AMUSEMENTS AND SOCIAL DUTIES. 453 

to wounded spirits. Such, too frequently, sojourn long and 
lonely, with no comforter but Him who " knoweth the heart 
of a stransrer." 

Whenever, therefore, new-comers enter a community, in- 
quiry should immediately be made as to whether they have 
friends or associates, to render sympathy and kind atten- 
tions ; and, when there is any need for it, the ministries of 
kind neighborliness should immediately be offered. And it 
should .be remembered that the first days of a stranger's so- 
journ are the most dreary, and that civility and kindness 
are doubled in value by being offered at an early period. 

In social gatherings the claims of the stranger are too apt 
to be forgotten ; especially in cases where there are no pe- 
culiar attractions of personal appearance, or talents, or high 
standing. Such an one should be treated with attention, be- 
cause he is a stranger; and when communities learn to act 
more from principle, and less from selfish impulse, on this 
subject, the sacred claims of the stranger will be less fre- 
quently forgotten. 

The most agreeable hospitality to visitors who become 
immates of a family, is that which puts them entirely at 
ease. This can never be the case where the guest perceives 
that the order of family arrangement is essentially altered, 
and that time, comfort, and convenience are sacrificed for 
his accommodation. 

Offering the best to visitors, showing a polite regard to 
every wish expressed, and giving precedence to them, in all 
matters of comfort and convenience, can be easily combined 
with the easy freedom which makes the stranger feel as if at 
home ; and this is the perfection, of hosp>itable entertainment. 



454 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

LAWS OF HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. 

It is hoped a day will come when these laws of God will 
be put on tablets in school-rooms and houses, as are the ten 
commandments in our churches, and that all children will be 
trained fully to understand them, and then to commit them 
to memory. 

Laios of Health for the Bones. 

Exercise daily in pure air, because it nourishes and gives 
strength to the bones. Do not habitually keep the spine 
out of its natural position, either when sleeping or sitting, 
because deformity and disease are thus induced. ISTever 
comj)ress the chest or ribs, because it diminishes chest breath- 
ing, and thus lessens the needful amount of nourishing oxy- 
gen ; and for the same reason, support all clothing from tlie 
shoulders, because any pressure on the hips and abdomen 
lessens abdominal breathing. 

Never wear high heels, because it tends to produce inter- 
nal displacement, to distort the foot, the spine, and the an- 
kles, causes corns and bunions, and makes a graceful walk 
impossible. An unfailing cure for corns and bunions is once 
a week to soak the foot half an hour in four quarts of quite 
warm water, in which is dissolved a bit of soda the size of 
a large walnut. Three or four times will relieve and prob- 
ably cure. 

Laws of Health for the 3fusdes. 

Supply pure blood and healthful food, because these are 

indispensable to their health and strength. Exercise all the 

muscles, so as to secure the healthful development of all, and 

avoid weakening them by excessive exercise. Change inact- 

. ive habits not suddenly, but by a gradual increase of exer- 



LAWS OF HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. 455 

cise. When too weak to exercise, employ an operator to in- 
crease the flow of blood to the muscles by pressure and rub- 
bing. Never compress any of the muscles by tight clothing, 
because it diminishes the flow of blood and thus of nutri- 
ment. As pure air and light cause increase of strength, let 
all exercise be by daylight. Avoid increase of exercise when 

the air is impure, as it usually is in night-gatherings. 

« 

JOaws of Health for the Lungs. 

It is proved by many experiments that a full-grown person 
vitiates a hogshead of air every hour ; therefore, so ventilate 
every room that each inmate shall have the needful pure air 
at this rate, especially by night. Take care so to dress, to 
sit, and to lie, that the lungs shall not be compressed, and 
thus be deprived of the needful nourishing oxygen. 

Laws of Health for the Digestive Organs. 

Supply every part of the body with its peculiar nutriment ; 
nitrogen for muscle, phosphorus for brain and nerves, carbon 
for the lungs, and silica, iron, etc., for other parts. Let the 
proportions follow the example given in wheat, milk, and 
eggs, which have all the elements needed and in proper pro- 
portions. According to this rule, use unbolted flour rather 
than sui3erfine. In selecting food, have reference to age, cli- 
mate, and state of the health. Meals should be at least five 
hours apart, that the stomach may rest. Do not eat between 
meals, as it mixes partly digested food with the new supply, 
and impedes digestion. Do not eat too much, because it im- 
pedes digestion, and overtaxes, and thus weakens, the organs 
that must throw ofi" the excess. Eat only to satisfy hunger, 
and not to qualify the palate after hunger is satisfied. Do 
not eat a great variety, because digestion is easier and more 
perfect with but few articles. Let there be a variety which 
is successive, and not at one meal. 

Do not require children to eat what they do not love, be- 
cause food which is relished is better disjested and more 
healthful. If very thirsty, drink water abundantly before 
eating, but sparingly at meals — only one tumbler or cup. 
Very hot food or drink debilitates the nerves of the teeth 



456 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE. 

and stomach. Very cold water, or ice, after a full meal, in- 
terferes with, digestion. 

Avoid stimulating drinks, or use them very weak. A 
gradual diminution of strength will modify the taste, so that 
a weak dilution will be relished as much, or more, than a 
strong. Drink only pure water; filter impure water through 
sand and powdered charcoal. Free drinking of pure cold 
water between meals tends to purify the blood and strength-' 
en the nervous system. 

All the yeast-powders for raising bread are not so health- 
ful as hop-yeast ; and those recommended by Liebig & Hos- 
ford do not restore several im23ortant elements lost by bolting. 

Laws of Health for the Skin. 

Wash the whole body either morning or night; because 
its capillaries contain more blood and nerve matter than all 
the rest of the body; because air and light cleanse and nour- 
ish them ; and because when in full health the skin throws 
oft' more than half the refuse of the body, which, if not thus 
expelled, goes to the lungs, or bowels, or kidneys to be ex- 
pelled, often causing disease. Bath-rooms are a luxury ; but 
a wet towel, and a screen for. privacy, are equally useful. 
Chilling the skin closes its pores, causing colds, diarrhoea, or 
catarrh. Immediate and free perspiration is the safest rem- 
edy. Rely on bathing, exercise, pure air, and proper food, 
rather than on warm clothing and warm rooms. But per- 
sons weakened by age or nervous debility must wear more 
clothing than others, and bathe in a warm room, or, better, 
by an open fire. Any diminution of clothing should be made 
in the morning, when the body is most vigorous. As the 
body radiates its heat to adjacent cold walls, be careful to 
avoid sitting near them, except when well protected. Many 
take colds or rheumatism by sitting near church or other 
cold walls. Taking air and sun baths tend to strengthen 
the nerves, and thus the whole body. Avoid a continuous 
current of air on any part of the body, as the withdrawal of 
heat causes disease in the part thus chilled. 

Expose bed-clothing and garments worn next the skin to 
fresh air, which removes the exhalations of the skin that oth- 



LAWS OF HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. 457 

ervvise would be re- absorbed. Straw and hair mattresses, 
and cotton comforters, should also be aired occasionally. 
The white dust thrown out by beating them is the scales 
and other refuse matter from the skin. 

In epidemics, nourishing food and cleansing the skin less- 
ens danger. 

Laws of Health for the Brain and Nerves. 

Healthful food, a clean skin, and daily exercise in the open 
air, are indispensable. Take seven or eight hours of sleep 
by night, and not by day; and when taxed by great care, la- 
bor, or sorrow, sleep as much as you can, for thus the brain 
and nerves recover strensjth. 

Always have some time each day devoted to some amuse- 
ment, and this out-of-doors if practicable. Laughter is a 
very healthful exercise. 

Have system and order in your employments, and let 
there be variety, so that no one set of nerves be wearied and 
another set unemployed. 

Let the intellect and feelings be engaged in safe and 
worthy objects, and so exercise all the faculties as to secure 
a well-balanced mind in a healthful body. Li all cases of 
disease, trust more to obedience to these rules than to medi- 
cines, which should be rarely used. 

Laws of Health for the Teeth^ Eyes^ and Hair. 

Never sleep till the teeth are cleaned with pure watej*, a 
brush, and a piece of thread or a tooth-pick to remove what 
lodges between the teeth. It would be well to do this after 
each meal. Avoid very hot food as causing decayed teeth. 
No tooth-powder is needed if these directions are obeyed. 

Accustom the eyes gradually to as much light as they 
can bear without pain. Light is healthful, especially to the 
eyes, and dark rooms make weak eyes. If the eyes are weak 
from excessive use, continue to use them, but only a little at 
a time, with intervals of rest ; for eyes, like all the rest of 
the body, grow weak by disuse. Always shade w^eak eyes 
from brilliant lights, especially when reading. For inflamed 
eyes or eyelids, do not use what others recommend, but con- 

20 



458 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEB. 

suit a physician ; as a remedy for one may be injurious for 
another case. Gentle rubbing around and over the eyes 
draws the blood there, and tends to increase strength. Do 
it only for two minutes at a time, three or four times a day. 
Bathing the eyes in cold water strengthens their nerves. 

Never use hair mixtures until some chemist has tested 
them and assures you there is no lead in them. Many per- 
sons have had paralysis and other evils by using hair mix- 
tures containing lead to restore the color. Brushing and 
washing the skin of the hair, and thus bringing the blood to 
nourish its roots, is a safe and sure method, and those mix- 
tures that seem to do good are efficacious chiefly because 
the directions always require rubbing and cleansing the skin 
of the hair. 

Remember that these laws of health are laws of God, and 
that when you disobey them you sin against your heavenly 
Father, who loves you, and is grieved when you injure your 
own soul and body. Therefore praj"- to be enabled to obey 
yourselves, and to teach these his laws to all under your 
care, both by precept and example. 



COMFORT FOR A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 459 



CHAPTER XXXn. 

COMFORT FOR A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 

There is no doubt of the fact, that American housekeep- 
ers have far greater trials and difficulties to meet than those 
of any other nation. And it is probable that many of those 
who may read over the methods of thrift and economy 
adopted by some of the best housekeepers in our land, and 
detailed in this work, will with a sigh exclaim, that it is hn- 
2)0ssible for them even to attempt any such plans. 

Others may be stimulated by the advice and examples 
presented, and may start off with much hope and courage, 
to carry out a plan of great excellence and appropriateness, 
and, after trying a while, will become discouraged by the 
thousand obstacles in their way, and give up in despair. 

A still greater number will like their own way best, and 
think it is folly to attempt to change. 

For those who wish they could become systematic, neat, 
and thorough housekeepers, and Avould like to follow out 
successfully the suggestions found in this work, and for those 
who have tried, or will try, and find themselves baffled and 
discouraged, these words of comfort are offered. 

Perhaps you find yourself encompassed by such sort of 
trials as these : Your house is inconvenient, or destitute of 
those facilities for doing work well which you need, and you 
can not command the means to supply these deficiencies. 
Your domestics are so imperfectly qualified that they never 
can do any thing just right, unless you stand by and attend 
to every thing yourself, and you can not be present in par- 
lor, nursery, and kitchen all at once. Perhaps you are fre- 
quently left without any cook, or without a chamber-maid, 
and sometimes without any hands but your own to do the 
work, and there is constant jostling and change from this 
cause. And perhaps you can not get supplies, either from 



460 TUE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEE, 

garden or market, such as you need, and all your calculations 
fail in that direction. 

And perhaps your children are sickly, and rob you of rest 
by night, or your health is so poor that you feel no energy 
or spirits to make exertions. And perhaps you never have 
had any training in domestic affairs, and can not understand 
how to work yourself, nor how to direct others. And when 
you go for aid to experienced housekeepers, or cookery- 
books, you are met by such sort of directions as these : 
"Take a pinch of this, and a little of that, and considerable 
of the other, and cook them till they are done about rights 
And when you can not succeed in following such indefinite 
instructions, you find your neighbors and husband wonder- 
ing how it is that, when you have one, two, or three domes- 
tics, there should be so much difficulty about housekeeping, 
and such constant trouble, and miscalculation, and mistake. 
And then, perhaps, you lose your patience and your temper, 
and blame others, and others blame you, and so every thing 
seems to be in a snarl. 

Now the first thing to be said for your comfort is, that 
you really have great trials to meet ; trials that entitle you 
to pity and sympathy, while it is the fault of others more 
than your own that you are in this very painful and diffi- 
cult situation. You have been as cruelly treated as the Is- 
raelites were by Pharaoh, when he demanded bricks without 
furnishing the means to make them. 

Yoif are like a young, inexperienced lad who is required 
to superintend all the complicated machinery of a manufac- 
tory which he never was trained to understand, and on pen- 
alty of losing reputation, health, and all he values most. 

Neither your parents, teachers, or husband have trained 
you for the place you fill, nor furnished you with the knowl- 
edge or assistance needed to enable you to meet all the com- 
plicated and untried duties of your lot. A young woman 
who has never had the care of a child, never done house- 
work, never learned the numberless processes that are indis- 
pensable to keep domestic affairs in regular order, never 
done any thing but attend to books, drawing, and music at 
school, and visiting and company after she left school — such 



COMFORT FOR A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 461 

an one is as unprepared to take charge of a nursery, kitchen, 
and family establishment, as she is to take charge of a man- 
of-war. And the chief blame rests with those who placed 
her 80 unprepared in such trying circumstances. Therefore, 
you have a right to feel that a large part of these evils are 
more your misfortune than your fault, and that they entitle 
you to sympathy rather than blame. 

The next word of comfort is, the assurance that you can 
do every one of your duties, and do them well, and the fol- 
lowing is the method by which you can do it. In the first 
place, make up your mind that it never is your duty to do 
any thing more than you can^ or in any better manner than 
the best you can. And whenever you have done the best 
you can, you have done loell ; and it is all that man should 
require, and certainly all that your heavenly Father does 
require. 

The next thing is, for you to make out an inventory of all 
the things that need to be done in your whole establish- 
ment. Then calculate what things you find you can not do, 
and strike them off the list, as what are not among your du- 
ties. Of those that remain, select a certain number that you 
think you can do exactly as they need to he done^ and among 
these be sure that you put the making of good bread. This 
every housekeeper can do, if she will only determine to 
do it. 

Make a selection of certain things that you will persevere 
in having done as well as they can he done^ and let these be 
only so many as you feel sure you can succeed in attempt- 
ing. Then make up your mind that all the rest must go 
along as they do, until you get more time, strength, and ex- 
perience, to increase the list ©f things that you determine 
shall always be well done. 

By this course you will have the comfort of feeling that 
in some respects you are as good a housekeeper as you can 
be, while there will be a cheering progress in gaining on all 
that portion of your affairs that are left at loose ends. You 
will be able to measure a gradual advance, and be encour- 
aged by success. Many housekeepers fail entirely by ex- 
pecting to do every thing xoell at first, when neither their 



462 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

knowledge or strength is adequate, and so they fail every- 
where, ^nd finally give up in despair. 

Are you not only a housekeeper, but a mother f Oh, sa- 
cred and beautiful name ! how many cares and responsibili- 
ties are associated wuth it ! And how many elevating and 
sublime anticipations and hopes are given to inspire and to 
cheer! You are training young minds whose plastic tex- 
ture will receive and retain every impression you make ; who 
will imitate your feelings, tastes, habits, and opinions ; and 
who will transmit what they receive from you to their chil- 
dren, to pass again to the next generation, and then to the 
next, until a whole 7iation may possibly receive its charac- 
ter and destiny from your hands ! No imperial queen ever 
stood in a more sublime and responsible position than you 
now occupy in the eye of Him who reads the end from the 
beginning, and who is appointing all the trials and discipline 
of your lot, not for purposes which are visible to your limit- 
ed ken, but in view of all the consequences that are to result 
from the character which you form, and are to transmit to 
your posterity ! 

And you who never are to bear a mother's name, but must 
toil for the children of others with little earthly honor or re- 
ward, remember that the blessed Lord " took upon himself 
the form of a servant;" that he came "not to be ministered 
to, but to minister;" that those who voluntarily take the 
lowest place are most likely to stand highest at last ; that all 
sincere service is accepted and precious ; and that our labors 
in this life are to bear their fruits through everlasting ages. 

Remember that you have a Father in heaven who sym- 
pathizes in all your cares, pities your griefs, makes allow- 
ances for your defects, and is endeavoring by trials, as well 
as by blessings, to fit you for the right fulfillment of your 
high and holy calling. 

But the heaviest care and sorrow that ever oppress a 
woman who, as housekeeper, has the control of children and 
servants, are her responsibilities as to the eternal destiny of 
those guided by her teachings and example. Our cruel w^ar 
took thousands of our noblest youth to terrible sufierings in 
prisons and battle-fields, and to a torturing death. Multi- 



COMFORT FOR A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 463 

tildes of these sacrificed their all to save their country as 
really as did our Lord when he sufiered for the whole world. 
And yet many of these martyred heroes gave no evidence of 
that change which their bereaved parents were trained to 
believe could alone save their beloved ones from everlasting 
misery. How many mothers have hid in silent anguish this 
never-healed wound — this crushing sorrow ! 

The most available remedy for such distress is much that 
is suggested in Chapters XXV. and XXVIII. ; and the fol- 
lowing queries may aid in obtaining the true teachings of 
the Bible on these momentous questions r 

Are the definitions given in those chapters of the words 
right, righteous, love, faith, and repentance, in reference to 
future eternal safety, sustained by common use and by our 
dictionaries ? What texts illustrate the distinction between 
right as to motives, or intention and right as to resulting con- 
sequences ? 

What texts show that wrong actions, owing to mistaken 
opinions as to what is right, do not necessarily destroy evi- 
dence of a righteous or virtuous character ? 

What texts show that the righteous character which se- 
cures eternal safety consists, not chiefly in emotional love to 
God, but rather in a controlling principle of obedience to his 
will, as manifested in both his natural and revealed laws ? 

What texts show that at some future period (it may be 
millions of ages hence) there will be a final separation of the 
righteous and the wicked ? 

Are there any texts which show that in the intervening 
ages there will be no improvement of character for those 
who fail in this life ? and are there any which show that there 
may be for some, if not for all ? 

Are there any texts which show that the character of ev- 
ery human being is fixed at death ? 

Are there any texts which show that some of mankind 
will be forever sinful, and forever separated from the right- 
eous? 

Are there any texts which show that all mankind will 
finally become righteous, and thus forever happy ? 

When all the texts in the Bible on these questions are col- 



464 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

lected and arranged, when applying the rules of interpreta- 
tion, these considerations are to be noticed : 

1. That the word "Hades," in many cases, is translated 
"Hell," when its proper translation is " the place of departed 
spirits." The story of Dives and Lazarus, and of the re- 
pentant thief, can be properly explained only by ascertaining 
the meaning the Jews attached to the words Hades and Par- 
adise ; for Christ, of course, expected them to be thus under- 
stood. 

Again, the meaning of many texts depends on the subject 
before the mind of the speaker. Thus when Christ replied 
to the question, " Are there few that be saved ?" did he refer 
to all beings in the whole universe, or to the present world, 
and to that present time when "the righteous" were com- 
paratively a small portion of mankind ? 

Again, much that relates to the spirit-world can not be 
fully taught or comprehended. St. Paul says tliat, when 
caught up into the third heaven, he saw, not, as in our trans- 
lation, things not "lawful" to utter, but, in the original 
Greek, " impossible " to utter. 

Again, the results thus gained from the Bible should be 
considered in connection with the analogies of nature and 
God's providence in regard to the continued development of 
mind and character, which in this life has so short and im- 
perfect a period, and in most cases so many and great disad- 
vantages. 

In completing such an investigation, much time and mental 
effort may be required, but is there any employment of time 
and intellect so imjDortant as this end ? 



In offering these suggestions, the author may refer to her 
own extended observation of the results of religious educa- 
tional training in the family, as witnessed in the diverse sects 
with which she has mingled, whether Catholic, Protestant, 
or Jewish ; for she counts excellent and intelligent friends in 
all. 

She finds all united in the belief of a future life in which 



COMFORT FOK A DISCOURAGED HOUSEKEEPER. 465 

the character formed in this life controls the eternal well- 
being; so that those who are trained to truth, justice, and 
mercy will be forever happier than those who grow up in sin 
and wickedness. 

She finds that the right education of children and servants 
is more and more an object of care and efibrt ; and that, as 
the consequence, the world is growing better rather than 
worse. 

And finally, she rejoices in the increasingly open avenues 
to useful and remunerating occupations for women, enabling 
them to establish homes of their own,, where, if not as the 
natural mother, yet as a Christ-mother, they may take in 
neglected ones, and train future mothers, teachers, and mis- 
sionaries for the world. ^ 

20* 



466 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 



NOTE A. 

VIEWS OF MEDICAL WRITERS 

The American Woman's Educational Association has for its object 
" the establishment of institutions having endowed departments sup- 
porting ladies of superior character and education who shall add 
to a collegiate course both scientific and practical training, in all 
relating to the distinctive duties of woman as housekeeper, wife, 
mother, nurse of infants and the sick, trainer of servants, and chief 
religious minister of the family state." As Secretary of this Asso- 
ciation, the author requested the views of Mrs. Dr. Gleason, of the 
Elmira Water-cure, on the topics that follow. This lady, as wife, 
mother, and highly-educated physician, during over twenty years has 
had patients of her own sex, probably counting by thousands, and 
has often, by request, lectured to graduating classes in the Ingham 
University, the Elmira College, and other popular institutions for 
women. The following are extracts from her reply : 

Treatment of Pelvic Diseases, 

" The pelvic organs, when diseased, all have so many symptoms in com- 
mon, that it requires not only good anatomical, pathological, and physiologi- 
cal knowledge, but close and well-cultivated diagnostic powers to decide 
which organ is diseased, and how it is diseased. For example, sometimes a 
displacement of the uterus will cause a sense of weight, dragging, and throb- 
bing, accompanied by pain in the back and in front of the hips. But in- 
flammation, ulceration, and induration of this organ will produce precisely 
the same results ; and sometimes mere nervous debility in these parts will in- 
duce these symptoms, especially when the imagination is excited in reference 
to the subject. It also is often the case that extreme prolapsus occurs in 
which there is no pain at all. 

"So also disease of the urinary cyst is indicated by symptoms precisely 
similar to those which mark the disease of the adjacent organ. These or- 
gans lying in close proximity, and supplied with nerves from the same source, 
Avould necessarily sympathize, and show disease by similar symptoms. Just 
as in the toothache, many a one has been unable to point out the diseased 
tooth. How much more difficulty exists in a case where most women are 
profoundly ignorant on the subject I 

" It has become a very common notion that when any local displacement of 



VIEWS OF MEDICAL AVKITERS. 467 

the pelvic organs occurs, a woman must cease to use her arms, cease to exer- 
cise vigorously, and keep herself on the bed much of her time. All which, 
in most cases, is exactly the three things which she ought not to do. And 
thus it is that, when from want of fresh air and exercise, and from the many 
pernicious practices that debilitate the female constitution, the pelvic organs 
indicate debility, and these nerves begin to ache. Immediately a harness is 
put on for local support, and the bed becomes the constant resort ; and thus 
the muscular debility and nervous irritability are increased. And yet, all that 
is needed is fresh air, exercise, simple diet, and proper mental occupation. 

" In this condition, perhaps, resort is had to some ignorant or inexperienced 
practitioner, who has some patent supporter to sell, or who has some secret 
and wonderful method of curing such diseases. Then commences, in many 
cases, a kind of local treatment most trying to the feelings, which is but sel- 
dom required, and which, in a majority of cases, results in no benefit. 

"Many a one has recited to me the mental and physical suffering she has 
endured for months in such a course of treatment, and all to no purpose. A 
touching case of this kind recently occurred, in the case of a beautiful young 
lady who was a listener to a course of lectures on the pelvis and its diseases, 
given by me to the graduating class of a female seminary. At the close she 
came to me, and, with tearful eyes and a quivering lip, said, ' I see now why 
all I have suffered, in body and mind is worse than useless. I see now that 
I have never had the disease for which I have been treated.' 

"Woman's trusting, confiding nature is beautiful; but oh, how much it 
needs to be protected by an intelligence on such subjects that will enable her 
properly to exercise her own judgment ! And surely, in such cases, above all 
others, a woman should be sure that her medical adviser has had a proper 
education, and possesses a well-established moral character. 

Effects of Imagination in Reference to these Diseases. 

* ' Besides the evils of misunderstanding and mistreating these affections, we 
have a host of evils from the effects of imagination. Multitudes of women, 
who hear terrific accounts of the nature of these complaints, and of the treat- 
ment that is inevitable, have their imagination so excited that aches and pains 
that are really trifling become magnified into all the symptoms of the dread- 
ed evil. They betake themselves to bed, become more and more nervous as 
they give up air, exercise, and occupation, and thus drag out a useless life, 
a burden to themselves and to their families. Again and again I have had 
such cases brought to me, where for years they could not leave their beds or 
walk at all, when I had nothing to do but make them understand their own 
organism, and convince them that they needed little else except to get up and 
go to work, in order to be healthy women. It is such cases that furnish a 
large portion of the ' wonderful cures ' that attract patients into the hands 
of poorly-qualified practitioners. 

"It is probable that thousands of women who are suffering from pain in 
the back and pelvic evils, and who either will soon be invalids or imagine 
themselves so, could be relieved entirely by obeying these directions : 

"Wash the whole person, on rising, in cool water, and, if nervous or de- 



468 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPEK. 

bilitated, by a fire ; dress loosely, and let all the weight of clothing rest on 
the shoulders ; sleep in a well-ventilated room ; exercise the muscles a great 
deal, especially those of the arms and trunk, taking care to lie down and rest 
as soon as fatigue is felt ; eat simple food, at regular hours ; pursue useful 
employments, with intervals of social and healthful amusement ; sleep enough, 
and at the proper hours ; and sit often in the sun. 

Peculiar Instruction needed by Young Children. 

"Through information gained from my husband, from other physicians, 
from teachers, from medical writers, and from the reports of insane hospitals, 
it has become clear to my mind that there are secret and terrific causes prey- 
ing extensively upon the health and nervous energy of childhood and youth 
of both sexes such as did not formerly exist, and such as demand new efibrts 
to eradicate and prevent. 

"Parents and teachers all over the land need to be made aware that a se- 
cret vice is becoming frequent among children of both sexes that is taught 
by servants and communicated by children at school. Indeed, it may result 
from accident or disease, with an innocent unconsciousness of the evil done, 
on the part of the child, while the practice may thus ignorantly be pei^petu- 
ated to maturity. This practice leads to diseases of the most hon-ible de- 
scription, to mania, and to fatuity. Death and the mad-house are the last 
resort of these most miserable victims. 

"To protect childhood and youth from this, it is not only needful to culti- 
vate purity of mind and personal modesty, but to teach them while quite 
young that any fingering of the parts referred to involves terrible penalties. 
No such explicit information should be given as would tempt the incautious 
curiosity of childhood, but the child should be impressed with a sense of guilt 
and awful punishment as connected with any thing of this kind, that would 
instantly recur to mind, if led by accident or instruction to this vice. 

"In regard to those who have already become victims, to a greater or less 
degree, to this vice, one caution is very important. Medical writers and oth- 
ers who have attempted to guard the young in this direction have painted 
not only the danger but the wickedness of this practice in such strong colors 
that, when a young person first discovers the nature of a practice that has 
been indulged with little conception of the danger or wrong, overaction on 
the fears and the conscience is not unfrequently the result. Such horror and 
despair sometimes ensue as almost paralyze any effbrt on the part of medical 
advisers to remedy the evil. 

" In all such cases, it is safest and best to assume that the sin is one of igno- 
rance, and that the cure is almost certain, if the directions given are strictly 
obeyed. Unstimulating diet, a great deal of exercise in the open air, daily 
ablution of the whole person, control of the imagination, and occupation of 
the mind in useful pursuits, will usually remedy the evil, after its nature is un- 
derstood." 

[A lady, after reading the above, stated that within the last year a little 
boy under her care, of veiy delicate mind and susceptible temperament, was 
sent to the country to a private boarding-school, under the care of a most ex- 



VIEWS OF MEDICAL WRITERS. 469 

cellent gentleman and his wife, who Avere eminently faithful, so far as they 
knew how to be. The child staid only six weeks, and returned sick, de- 
pressed, and with a burden on his mind that could not be discovered. After 
learning that he would not be sent back, he revealed the shocking story, and 
also the fact that the boys had threatened to kill him if he ever told any one. 
Another lady, after reading this article, related a similar story of a large 
and highly respected boarding - school for boys, and gave several mournful 
incidents to show the effects of such evils on the health of the pupils. Par- 
ents whose young sons are at boarding-school can not be too much alarmed 
on this subject.] 

Instructions at a more Mature Age. 

*'You wish my views and experience in reference to instructions that 
should be communicated to the young, on such topics, at a more mature age. 

" The terrible effects I have seen from simple ignorance, both on individual 
and domestic happiness, convince me that a great work is to be attempted in 
this direction. More than half the cases of extreme suffering which have 
come under my care could have been saved, had the course that is aimed at 
by you and your associates have been secured by them, I have been called 
repeatedly to lecture to young ladies, near the close of a school education, on 
subjects so important to their future health and happiness, and I never found 
the least difficulty, either on their part or my own. 

"When the proper discriminations are made between true delicacy and 
propriety, and a fastidious and mawkish imitation of them, there is no diffi- 
culty in making them understood and appreciated. I have found, on such 
occasions, if a person was present known to be wanting in purity and delica- 
cy, it was such only who made very offensive protestations against the course 
pursued in such instructions. 

" In reference to social as well as secret vices of this description, it seems to 
me the protection of ignorance should be preserved as long as possible, and 
yet so that, when such knowledge dawns, there shall immediately recur the 
needful impression of danger and sin. These duties belong especially to par- 
ents and teachers ; and the circulation of books and papers with the gross 
and pernicious information that many have recommended and practiced in- 
volves, as it seems to me, most hazardous results. 

"The implanted principles which establish the family state are connected 
with the highest rewards when rightly regulated, and with most dreadful pen- 
alties when perverted or abused. And the prosperity of individuals, of fam- 
ilies, and of nations, for this life and the life to come, depends more on the 
proper control and regulation of these principles than on any other social or 
moral duty. 

"And yet there is no point of morals and religion so widely abused and 
so fruitful of misery and sin as much that is connected with these principles. 
Instead of being regulated by correct knowledge and well-formed habits of 
thought and action, all seems left to the mistakes of ignorance or the control 
of worldly fashion. 

" One cause of this stfvte of things is want of consistent rules and customs 



470 THE HOUSEKEEPER AND HEALTHKEEPER. 

as to what constitutes true modesty. These are all dependent on a general 
principle of physiology either rarely recognized or inconsistently regarded. 
The principle is this : 

"When the mind directs thought and volition toward any organ of the 
body the blood and ner^'ous fluid tend to that organ. Thus, when the brain is 
u^d, or the eye, or the hand, the nervous fluid and blood tend to the organ 
to stimulate its action. If this stimulation is too frequent, or too long con- 
tinued, or produced by unnatural methods, then debility or disease are the 
result. The capillaries of the misused organ become engorged, producing 
temporary or chronic inflammation or congestion. 

"The same is true of those organs consecrated to marriage. Excess or 
unnatural abuse causes an engorgement of the capillaries, and then a resulting 
increase of excitement, and to a degree that sometimes baffles all effbrts at 
self-control. 

*'It is owing to this physiological principle that the rules of personal 
modesty, of decorum, and of propriety in social intercourse have been estab- 
lished. 

" On the principle above stated these sensibilities demand the control of the 
thoughts. For this reason it is that certain topics which lead to such thoughts 
are excluded from general conversation, or, if they are alluded to, are veiled 
in expressions that children do not understand. It is for this cause that 
novels, poetry, and pictures which direct the imagination to such topics are 
deemed objectionable, especially for the young. 

"It is owing to this physiological fact that Jesus Christ declares that the 
guilt of adultery commences in the indulgence of the thoughts. 

"Marriage is not allowable until there has been due instruction and a habit 
formed of regulating these sensibilities by rules of modesty, decency, and pro- 
priety, and also knowledge imparted as to the dangers consequent on neglect- 
ing these rules. And here is the place where the customs and practices of 
society are most inconsistent, false, and destructive to health and morals. 
For in one direction there is excessive and dangerous laxness, and in another 
false and dangerous strictness and fastidiousness. 

"The rule to guide is this, that whenever health, life, or duty demand it, 
all connected with these topics should be spoken of and done without restraint 
or embarrassment ; but when there are no such demands, they are to be ex- 
cluded. Thus all these topics are spoken of plainly in the Bible and read in 
public worship, and also in medical, surgical, and hospital practice ; and it is 
deemed false modesty and false delicacy to express opposition or disapproval. 
But when there are no such demands to serve health or life, or to pi'otect 
from future dangers, conversation, poetry, jokes, or coarse expressions on 
such topics are vulgar, indecent, and sinful. 

"Direct violation of these rules are now pervading not only our popular 
amusements, our poetry, and novels, but extensively the weekly and daily 
press is every day drawing attention to topics dangerous and forbidden ex- 
cept for necessary instruction and waiming. The Bible as read in families 
and churches comes with solemn simplicity as instruction from God, and 
sins of all kinds are made known for warning and instruction. Very differ- 



VIEWS OF MEDICAL WRITERS. 471 

ent in style and influence are the details of vices and crimes presented daily 
in newspapers, magazines, poetry, and novels. 

" It would seem as if the Prince of Darkness had sent forth his minions 
to hide all that knowledge that would save from sin and suffering, and to 
expose all that tempts to danger and sin. 

"In addition to the dangers of our popular literature, there is a wide-spread 
assumption that such is the constitution of man, that the unsullied purity of 
thought and conduct demanded of the weaker sex is not to be expected or 
scarcely required of the stronger. This pernicious opinion is not unfrequent- 
ly implied in medical writers, especially those residing in the centres of Euro- 
pean licentiousness. 

"Therefore it is very important for parents to know, in the first place, 
that constitutional diversities exist, involving more temptations to some than 
to others ; and in the next place, that every child is so organized, that strict 
obedience to the laws of health, knowledge of danger from uncontrolled 
thoughts, useful occupation, and suitable moral and religious training, will se- 
cure the regulation of ordinary temptations, and self-control under extraordi- 
nary ones. Where in maturity this has not been the case, it has been owing 
to excess either in forbidden or in legal indulgence. 

"There is nothing more difficult than to change customs and prejudices, 
especially in matters of delicacy and propriety. And it is woman more than 
man who has controlling influence in these respects. Whatever the cultivated 
and conscientious women of our country decide ought to be done, and will 
iise their influence to have done, will surely be accomplished. 

"The evils here indicated can never 'be appreciated until mothers and 
teachers gain that knowledge of the construction of the body and the dangers 
connected with the duties of the family state, which now is confined to the 
medical profession, while physicians, by the false customs and false modesty 
of women, are constrained to a dangerous reticence. 

' ' I believe that the method proposed by your Association, of securing by 
endowments well-qualified ladies whose official duty it shall be to train the 
young to be healthy, and to communicate all the knowledge that will fit 
them to fulfill healthfully and happily all their future duties and relations, 
will, so far as it is carried out, effectually remedy the evils, and secure the 
benefits designed. 

"Oh, that all parents and teachers who are to train the next generation 
could be made to understand these intimations, and save their daughters from 
the abounding anguish which has come upon such multitudes of those now 
upon the stage! Very truly yours, R. B. Gleason." 

These views of Mrs. Dr. Gleason are in accordance with those of 
the most influential, learned, and benevolent medical men. 

Dr. George T. Elliott, late President of the New York County Medical 
Society, says of muscular exercise (or, as Mrs. Gleason would say, "getting 
up and going to work") : "If this were properly carried out, the local treat- 
ment now so much in vogue, and the ever -ready resort to the speculum, 
might commonly be dispensed with." 



472 VIEWS OF MEDICAL WRITERS. 

Dr. Thomas suggests similar views in an address before the Medical Soci- 
ety of New York County, in which he speaks of "the wonderful improve- 
ment exerted on cases which have long resisted local means, by sea-bathing, 
or a few months passed in the country. He also says : "The fact is notori- 
ous that the local treatment of these diseases is not as successful as we could 
wish ;" and of uterine injections he says : "My impression is, they have done, 
and are going to do, a great deal of harm. I see no necessity for tlievi.'^ 

Dr. Peasely, of New York City, says: "Medical applications to the uterus 
are often used in conditions not justifying them." 

The senior editor of the Pacific Medical Journal says : " It is hoped that 
the fashion of women having recourse to local treatment has passed to its cul- 
mination. The highest authorities have taken the back course, and condemn 
their own uterine surgery in some respects." 

The editor of the Medical Record, of New York City, says : " In a major- 
ity of cases the speculum is used only because it is the fashion. The natural 
tendency of this is certainly demoralizing.^^ 

Dr. George H. Taylor, author of an original work on diseases of women, 
says : " A large portion of the women treated by me for pelvic disease would, 
in certain stages, be cured by loose di'esses supported from the shoulders, do- 
mestic exercise, and proper diet. And the Movement Cure, to a great ex- 
tent, consists of exercises that would in many cases be as successful, and more 
useful, if performed in domestic labor. Moreover, in my experience, not 
more than one case in twenty of cures by movements requires either local 
examination or local treatment. A large portion of my patients could, by 
obeying my directions, cure themselves at home." 

Most medical men now agree that the modes of dress, and the excess- 
ive mental taxation of schools, unaccompanied by the healthful do- 
mestic labor of former days, largely account for the prevalence of dis- 
eases among young girls which formerly were confined to married 
women, and also for the alarming increase of such diseases. 



INDEX. 



AooiDENTs and antidotes, 3C6. 

Acids, how to be kept, 108. 

Address of the author to readers, 15. 

Aged, care of the, 301. 

Air-cells, number in human lungs, 153. 

Alcoholic drinks, 100; the raicroscope,228. 

Alcoholic poisoning, antidote for, 308. 

Almond and cocoa-nut cake, SO. 

Amusements and social duties, 440, et seq. 

Angry tones avoidable, 277. 

Antidotes for some poisons, 367. 

Apple and bread dumplings, 79. 

Apple-bread, 68. 

Apple-custard, 68. 

Apple-omelet, to make an, 63. 

Apple-pie, 76. 

Apple-sauce, 56. 

Apple-tarts, spiced, 81. 

Apple-trees, to preserve from insects, 360. 

Apple-ice, 97. 

Apple-jelly, 'J8. ^ 

Apple lemon-pudding, 97. 

Apple-snow, 98. 

Apples, to preserve, 92. 

Apportionment of time, proper, 283. 

Arrow-root, how purchased and kept, 105. 

Arsenic, antidote for, 368. 

Asparagus, how to cook, 63 ; how dished, 

111. 
Associated charities, a system of, 387. 
Attic story of a house, plan for, 144. 

Bacon, the fat of good, 21. 

Baked fish, 59. 

Baked meats. See Roasts, 46. 

Basement, plan for a, 147. 

Basket- ware for kitchen, 347. 

Baskets for flowers, 196 ; and fruits, 333. 

Bath, use and misuse of the, 240. 

Baudeloque, M., on foul air, 158. 

Beautifying a home, 192, et seq. 

Beds, arranging, 341. 

Beef, selection of, IS ; different cuts of, 19 ; 



economy in purchase of, 19 ; stew, 30 ; 
soups, 37 ; hash, 40 ; boiled, 43 ; roast, 
46 ; pot-pie of, 47 ; pie of cold, 48 ; friz- 
zled, 51. 

Beef-tea, 102. 

Beefs-gall, to keep, 116. 

Beefsteak, broiled, 50. 

Bees, care of, 312. 

Beets, how to cook, 61. 

Biliousness, cause of, 217. 

Bill of fare four weeks ahead, 125. 

Bird'snest pudding, 78. 

Biscuits— soda, yeast, potato, 69 ; of sour 
milk and flour, 71. 

Blackberry jam, 93. 

Blanc-mange, 98 ; of wheat flour, 97. 

Bleeding from the lungs, throat, etc., 369. 

Blood, the human, 150, et seq. 

Body, composition of the human, 214. 

Boiled fish, 59. 

Boiled meats— to cook tough beef, ham, 
beef, fowls, 43; a leg or shoulder of 
veal, mutton, or lamb, calf s liver and 
sweet-breads, kidneys, pillau, smoked 
tongues, corned beef, 44 ; partridges or 
pigeons, ducks, turkeys, 45. 

Bologna sausages, to make, 26. 

Bones, composition of, 243 ; laws of health 
for the, 454. 

Borax, for washing, 112. 

Brain and nerves, 203. 

Brain, laws of health for the, 457. 

Brandy peaches, 91. 

Bread, remarks regarding family, 64; fine 
flour, 66 ; middlings, or unbolted flour, 
raised with water only, 67 ; rye and In- 
dian, third, rye, oat-meal, pumpkin and 
apple, corn-meal, 68 ; sweet rolls of corn- 
meal, soda biscuit, yeast biscuit, potato 
biscuit, buns, 69 ; how to keep, lOS. 

Bread and apple dumplings, 79. 

Bread and fruit pudding, 77. 

Bread omelet, to make, 63. 



474 



INDEX. 



Bread-crumbs and meat hash, 40. 

Bread pudding, stale, 7S ; for invalids, 81. 

Breakfast dishes, 70-73. 

Breakfast-rooms, care of, 336. 

Breathing, the action in, 245. 

Breeding of animals, 307. 

Brewer, Professor, of Yale College, on 

ventilation, 1C9. 
Brine or pickle for beef, pork, etc., 25. 
Broccoli, to pickle, 55. 
Broiled fish, 59. 
Broiled mutton or lamb chops, beefsteak, 

fresh pork, ham, sweet-breads, veal, pork 

relish, 50. 
Broiled oysters, 58. 
Bmises, remedies for, 366. 
Brulure, or fire-blight, 360. 
Buckwheat, how produced and kept, 105. 
Buckwheat cakes, 73. 
Budding and grafting, 353. 
Buns, to make, 69. 
Burns, remedies for, 366. 
Butler, Fanny Kemble, on theatre-going, 

444. 
Butter, to keep, 106 ; in hot weather, 12.3. 
Butternut catsup, 56. 

Cabbage, fine, pickled, 54. 

Cabbage and cauliflower, to cook, 62. 

Cake, general directions for making, 85 ; 
one, two, three, four cake ; chocolate, 
jelly, orange, almond, and cocoa-nut, 86; 
pound-cake, plain-cake, fruit, huckle- 
berry, gold and silver, rich sponge-cake, 
87 ; plain sponge - cake, gingerbread, 
fried cakes, cookies, etc., 88 ; plain loaf- 
cake, rich loaf-cake, dough-cake, icing 
for cake, 89 ; how to keep, 108. 

Calfs-foot, to cleanse, 23 ; jelly, 44, 92 ; to 
cook, 44. 

Calfs head and feet, to cleanse, 23 ; soup, 
38 ; to cook, 48. 

Calfs liver and sweet-breads, to cook, 44. 

Candied fruits, 99. 

Caudles, to make, 328. 

Canker-worm, to check, 360. 

Canned fruits, 91. 

Capers, sauce of, mock, 57. 

Capitol, ventilation and warming of the, 
165. 

Carbonaceous food, 217. 

Carbonic acid, 153. 

Card-playing as an amusement, 444. 

Care of meats, IS, 22 ; of the aged, 301 ; 



of domestic animals, 305 ; of the sick, 
313; of servants, 424. 

Carpets, selection of, 330; cutting and fit- 
ting, 330. 

Carrots, how to cook, 61. 

Carving, directions for, 338. 

Castle-building, 296. 

Catholic priests, care for servants, 438. 

Catsup, walnut or butternut, 56 ; tomato, 
57. 

Cauliflower, to pickle, 55 ; to cook, 62. 

Celery, to prepare, 62. 

Cell-life, 200 ; curious facts, 201 ; impor- 
tant relations to health, 202. 

Cellar, care of a, 348. 

Cement, a good, 122. 

Chairs, a use for old, 195. 

Chambers and bedrooms, care of, 339. 

Character, protection to, 410. 

Charities, associated, 387, et seq. 

Charlotte russe, 96. 

Cheese, how to keep, 108. 

Cheese of veal, 51. 

Cherries, to preserve, 93. 

Cherry-pie, 79. 

Chickens, etc., stew, 31; roast, 47; pot- 
pic and rice-pie, 48. 

Chicken salad, 57, 96. 

Children talking to parents, 264, et acq. ; 
the bath for, 241 ; training the man- 
ners of, 269, et seq. See, also. Young 
Children. % 

Chimney, a central, 176. 

Chimneys, 189, et seq. 

Chinese, respect for age, 304. 

Chocolate, as a beverage, 101. 

Chocolate-cake, 86. 

Cholera, in the shade, 256. 

Chowder, clam, 59. 

Cider and toast, 101. 

Circus-riding, about, 441. 

Citron melons, to preserve, 93. 

Clam soup, 37 ; chowder, 59. 

Clarify sugar, to, 99. 

Clark, Dr. James, on physical education 
of children, 401. 

Cleaning furniture, 332. 

Cleanliness, 235, et seq. ; for animals, 306. 

Clothing, 243, et seq. ; selection of family, 
129. 

Cloths, table, 109. 

Coal, anthracite and bituminous, 325. 

Coal mines, principle of ventilating, 168. 

Cocoa, to make, 100. 



I 



INDEX. 



475 



Cocoa-nut pudding (plain), 78 ; cake, 8G. 
Codfish, a relish, 51 ; where to keep, 108. 
Coffee, fish-skin for, 100 ; cream for, 101 ; 

to purchase, 107 ; for children, 230 ; as 

a beverage, 231. 
Cold - meat hash, 39 ; nice way of cook- 
ing, 41. 
Colds, treatment of, 31G. 
Combe on the management of infants, 

392. 
Comfort for a discouraged housekeeper, 

459. 
Company, reception of, 333. 
Conductors of heat, 164. 
Constipation, cure for {in note), 315. 
Convection, a principle of heat, 164. 
Cookies, SS. 

Cook-stove, to roast in, 46. 
Cooking-stoves and ranges, 182, et seq. 
Cool, how to keep, 122. 
Corn (green) soup, 36 ; pudding, 81. 
Corn-cake, sachem's head, 73. 
Corn-meal bread, 68 ; sweet rolls of, 69 ; 

pop-overs, 76 ; for breakfast and supper, 

70. 
Corned-beef hash, 41 ; boiled, 44. 
Corrosive sublimate, antidote for, 368. 
Cottage cheese, fine, 73. 
Cows, care of, 309. 
Crab-apple marmalade and jelly. See 

Quince Marmalade. 
Cracked wheat, 71 ; how purchased and 

kept, 105. 
Cracker plum-pudding, 82. 
Cranberry, 97 ; sauce, 56. 
Creaking hinges, to stop, 123. 
Cream for coffee and tea, 101. 
Cream tartar, beverage, 102. 
Crockery for a kitchen, 346. 
Crumpets, royal, 72. 
Cucumbers, pickled, 53 ; convenient way 

to pickle, 54 ; to prepare, 62 ; prepared 
for table, 110. 
Curculio, the, in plum-trees, 360. 
Curd pudding, English, 77. 
Currant and raspberry pie, 79. 
Currant jelly, 94 ; whisk, 96. 
Currants, to preserve, 93 ; for cake, 107 ; 

raised in a wet soil, 358. 
Custard, plain, 77. 
Cuts, remedies for, 306. 
Cutting dresses, hints on, 361. 

Dancing as an amusement, 441. 



Death-rates, average of, 162, 163. 

Decay, results of animal or vegetable, 162. 

Dessert of rice and fruit, 80. 

Desserts and evening parties, 95. 

Diaphragm, the human, 246. 

Digestion of food, 217. 

Digestive organs, the, 219; the laws of 

health for, 455. 
Dining-rooms, care of, 335. 
Discouraged housekeeper, comfort for, 459. 
Domestic amusements and Bocial duties, 

440, et seq. 
Domestic animals, care of, 305, et seq. 
Domestic exercise, 208, et seq. 
Domestic manners, 260, et seq. 
Domestic service a great problem, 429. 
Domestics' rooms, 342. 
Dormer-windows, 176. 
Dough-cake, 89. 
Doughnuts, 88. 
Drawn butter, 110 ; sauce, 56. 
Dress appropriate to servants, 431. 
Dress— fashion ruinous to health, 243. 
Dressing a young girl, proper mode of, 

251. 
Drinks, etc., for the sick, 100. 
Drop-cakes of fine wheat or rye, 72. 
Drowning, in cases of, 367. 
Ducks, to boil, 45. 
Dumplings of bread and apples, 79. 
Dwelling, construction of a family, 127 ; 
ornamentation of furniture of, 128. 

Early rising, 254 ; recommended, 447. 

Earth-closets, 145. 

Eating too much, 214 ; too fast, 222. 

Economical breakfast-dish, 71. 

Egg-plant, how to cook, 61. 

Eggs, with meat -hash, 39; omelet, 51 ; 
with milk as sauce, 56 ; modes of cook- 
ing, 63 ; to preserve, 122. 

Egg tea, egg coffee, and egg milk, 102. 

English curd-pudding, 77. 

Essences, how to be kept, 108. 

Evening parties and desserts, 95. 

Exercise indispensable to health, 211 ; for 
animals, 307. 

Expenses, family, 130. 

Eyes, laws of health for the, 457. 

Family attachments, 452. 
Family religious training, 414, et seq. 
Fasting, a remedy for sickness, 314. 
Fault-finding, mistakes of, 482. 



47G 



INDEX. 



Fever, drink for a, 102. 

Figs, where raised, 35S. 

Filberts, where raised, 358. 

Fiue-floar bread, G6. 

Fire, in case of, 3G9. 

Fire-blight iu pear-trees, 3G0. 

Fire-places, the advantages of open, 166. 

Fires and lights, 324. 

Fish, selection of, 22 ; to salt down, 23 ; 
directions for cooking, 53. 

Fishing as a sport,"440. 

Fitting dresses, hints on, 3G1. 

Flannel shirts save washing, 112. 

Flavoring powders, 33. 

Floating island, 98. 

Flour, how it should be kept, 104. 

Flour puddings, flour and fruit puddings, 
75 ; a rich, 80, 

Flower-seeds, planting, 350. 

Flowers, appropriate for baskets, 107 ; in 
a room, to cultivate, 197. 

Fluids as food, 224. 

Flummery, 96. 

Folding, sprinkling, and ironing, 118. 

Folding clothing, directions for, 342. 

Food, on the conversion of, into nourish- 
ment, 214 ; responsibility as to, in a fam- 
ily, 214; on taking too much, 214; pro- 
portion of nutritive elements in, 215; 
on one kind of, for each meal, 217 ; quan- 
tity of, to be graduated by exercise, 217; 
on the quality of, 221 ; stimulating, 221 ; 
animal and vegetable, 221 ; kinds of, 
most easily digested, 222; injurious, 
from bad cooking, 222 ; on eating too 
fast, 222 ; on exercise, after taking, 223 ; 
on hot and cold, 223 ; highly concen- 
trated, 224; for the sick, 318. 

Forewarn instead of find fault, 432. 

Foul air, the evils of, 158, et seq. 

Fowls, boiled, 43 ; fricasseed, 43. 

Fragile ware, to preserve, 122. 

French cooking, the peculiar excellence 
of, 34. 

French vegetable soup, 38. 

Fresh-meat hash, 39. 

Fricasseed fowl, 43. 

Fried meats and relishes, 50. 

Fried oysters, 58. 

Fritters of oysters, 58. 

Frizzled beef, 51. 

Fruit, cultivation of, 357. 

Fruit and bread-crumb puddiuf?, 79. 

Fruit and rice dessert, 80. 



Fruit-cake, 87. 
Fruit pudding, boiled, 77. 
Frying, unhealthful mode of cooking, 50. 
Fuel saved by cottage stove, 188. 
Furnace-heat pernicious, 178, et seq. 
Furniture, to cleanse or renovate, 122 ; the 
selection of, 128, 330. 

Games of skill for children, 449. 

Garden seeds, planting, 350. 

Gardening a recreation for the young, 447. 

Gardens and yard, care of, 349. 

Ganglionic system, the, 204. 

Garnishing dishes, modes of. 111. 

Gastric juice, supply of, 218. 

Gherkins, pickled, 53. 

Gingerbread, 88. 

Ginger-snaps and seed cookies, SS. 

Gold and silver cake, 87. 

Good breeding, principles of, 2G0. 

Gooseberries, how propagated, 35S. 

Gouffee's recipes, 33. 

Grafting and budding, 353. 

Grapes, easy way to keep, 125 ; to raise, 

359. 
Grates and stoves, 324. 
Gravies, always to be strained, 46 ; brown 

flour for meat, 4G. 
Grease and stains, mixtures for removing, 

120, 124. 
Grease-spots, to remove, 124. 
Greens, how prepared, 111. 
Green corn, how to cook, 61 ; pudding, 

81 ; patties, 82. 
Ground-plan of a house, 134. 
Gruels, water and oat-meal, 102. 

Habits of system and order, 281, et seq. 

Hair, laws of health for the, 457. 

Ham, selection of, 21 ; recipe for molasses- 
cured, 24; brine for pickling, 25; to 
smoke, 26; hash of cold, 41; boiled, 43; 
how to keep, 108 ; broiled eggs for. 111. 

Hard yeast, 66. 

Hashes, common way of spoiling, 39; 
fresh meat, cold meat and potatoes, with 
eggs, 39 ; with tomatoes, nice beef, veal, 
rice and cold meat, bread-crumbs and 
cold meat, cold beef-steak, 40 ; cold mut- 
ton or venison, corned beef, cold ham, 
meats warmed over, cold meats, 41 ; 
souse, tripe, 42 ; how to dish, 111. 

Hasty pudding or mush, 77. 

Health, the care of, 129, 199. 



INDEX. 



477 



Healthful food, selection of, 129. 

Health of mind, 293, et seq. 

Heart, the humau, 152. 

Heat, or caloric, explained, 164. 

Helping at table, 33S. 

Hemming, hints on, 363. 

Herrings, salt, 51 ; smoked, lOS. 

Hominy for breakfast or supper, 70 ; how 

purchased and kept, 105. 
Homiu}', or rice stew, 32. 
Hop and potato yeast, 66. 
Horses, care of, 30T. 
Horse-racing, about, 441. 
Horsford's method of making flour, 05. 
Hospitality, the most agreeable, 453. 
Hot-beds, to prepare, 349. 
" House and Home Papers, " by Mrs. Sto we, 

155, 425. 
House-cleaning, 332. 
House plants, care of, 352. 
Houses, on the construction of, 133-149. 
Huckleberry cake, ST. 
Hunting as a sport, 440. 
Hygrodeik, the, 175. 
Hypochondriasis, 297. 
Hysteria, 297. 

Ice-cream, general directions for, 95; 
strawberry ice, ice-cream without cream, 
95 ; fruit ice - cream, 96 ; lemonade and 
other ices, 90. 

Iced fruit, 98. 

Icing for cake, SO, 

Indian meal, how purchased and Jcept, 
105. 

Indian pudding boiled, without eggs, 79 ; 
baked, 81. 

Indiana pickles, 55. 

Indigo, to purchase and keep, 107. 

Industrial schools, 302. 

Infants, pure air for, 26S ; mortality 
among, 390 ; on giving to the older chil- 
dren, 391 ; ignorance of parents concern- 
ing, 391 ; importance of knowing how 
to take care of, 392; Combe and Bell 
cited, 393, et seq. ; food for, 394 ; medi- 
cines for, 394; keeping warm, 395; keep- 
ing their heads cool, 396 ; bathing, 390 ; 
to creep, 397 ; habits, 397 ; teething, 39S ; 
constipation, 399 ; diarrhoea, 399 ; use of 
water in fever, 400. 

Ingrafting, 355. 

Ink, indelible, how to make, 122. 

Ink-stains, to remove, 121. 



Instinctive love, 372. 

Intemperance in eating, 214, 21S. 

Involuntary motion, nerves of, 204. 

Iodide of potassium, antidote for, 368. 

Irish stew, 31. 

Ironing, articles to be provided for, 117 ; 

general directions for, 119. 
Iron, to stop cracks in, 123. 
Iron-ware for kitchen, 346. 
Isinglass, to clarify, 98 ; American, 105. 

Jellies and preserves, to prepare, 90. 
Jelly, white wine, 96 ; apple, orange, 93 ; 

Avhat served with, 110. 
Jelly-cake, 86. 

Kid gloves, to clean, 121 ; another way, 

124. 
Kidneys, function of the human, 23S. 
Kidneys, to cook, 44. 
Kitchen, care of a, 343 ; furniture for a, 

346 ; plan for a, 141. 

Laces, to do up, 117. 

Lamb chops, broiled, 50. 

Lamb, to boil a shoulder or leg, 44. 

Lamp-oil, to remove stains of, 121. 

Lamps, oil and kerosene, 326. 

Lard and drippings, to keep, IOC. 

Lard, to try out, 24. 

Laughter is healthy, 449. 

Laws of health, for the bones, for the 
muscles, 454 ; for the lungs, for the di- 
gestive organs, 455 ; for the skin, 456 ; 
for the brain and nerves, for the teeth, 
eyes, and hair, 457. 

Laying out yards and gardens, 351. 

Lazy gentleman, a, 272. 

Lead, antidote for, 36S. 

Leeds's method of ventilation, 171. 

Lemon pudding, 82 ; jelly, 97; peel, 107. 

Lemonade ice, 96. 

Lettuce salad, 57. 

Lnicoemia, 256. 

Lewis, Dr. Dio, on ventilation, 159. 

Light essential to health, 256. 

Light for animals, 307. 

Lightning, struck by, 369. 

Lights for a house, 326. 

Lime or baryta, antidote for, 36S. 

Liver, calf or pig, beef, to cook, 51. 

Liver, use of the human, 238. 

Loaf pudding, 82 ; cake, 89. 

Longevity, Sir John Sinclair on, 257. 



478 



INDEX. 



Lungs, the hnman, 151 ; laws of health 

for, 455. 
Lye, to make, 115. 

Macaroni, how purchased and kept, 105. 

Macaroni pudding, 81. 

Mahogany furniture, 333. 

Mangoes, pickled, 54, 

Manners at home and in society, 260, et 
scq. 

Manners to servants, 435. 

Marketing, 18. 

Marmalade, quince, 94 ; orange, 97. 

Martinoes, to pickle, 54. 

Mattresses, 139, 341. 

Measures of quantity, 28. 

Meat and rusk puddings, 76. 

Mechanical skill developed in children, 
450. 

Medicines, the use of, 314, et seq. 

Melancholy, condition of, 297. 

Mental health and disease, 294, et seq. 

Metal dishes, never cool soup in, 35. 

Mice and rats, to get rid of, 124. 

Mildew, to remove, 119. 

Milk and egg sauce, 50. 

Milk, dangerous use of, 101 ; as a drink, 
233. 

Milk lemonade, 101. 

Mint sauce for lamb, 56. 

Minute pudding of potato starch, 78. 

Mock cream, 79. 

Model ventilation, 172, et seq. 

Moisture in air necessary, 178. 

Molasses, to purchase and keep, 106. 

Moral character, what constitutes, 371. 

Mucous membrane, the, 237. 

Muffins, wheat, of flour, fine or unbolted, 
72. 

Muscles, laws of health for the, 454. 

Muscular exercise, 208, et seq. 

Mush or hasty pudding, 77. 

Mushrooms, pickled, 53. 

Music, considered as a recreation, 448. 

Muslin curtains, 194. 

Muslins, to starch, 117. 

Mutton — division of a sheep, 20; selec- 
tion of, 21 ; and turnip stew, 30 ; soup, 
38 ; hash, 41 ; boiled leg or shoulder of, 
44 ; roast, 47 ; pie, 48. 

Mutton chops, broiled, 50. 

Napkins, table, 109. 
Nasturtions, pickled, 53. 



Nerves, laws of health for the, 457. 
Nervous system, the, described, 202. 
Nervousness in sick people, 320. 
Nettle-rash caused by food, 240. 
Night air, prejudice against, 160. 
Nitrate of silver, antidote for, 308. 
Novel-reading, 296, 445. 
Nursery, selection of helpers in the, 130. 
Nursing the sick, 319. 

Oat-meal bread, 68 ; for breakfast or sup- 
per, 71 ; how purchased and kept, 105. 

Odds and ends, advice about, 124. 

Oil, to purchase and keep, 106. 

Oil-paint, to remove spots of, 151. 

Oiiw-mania, disease of the brain, 228. 

011a podrida, recipe for, 32. 

Omelet of eggs, 51 ; plain, bread, apple, 
63; oysters, 58, 

One, two, three, four cake, 86. 

Onions, used as flavoring, 35 ; pickled, 63 ; 
to cook, 62. 

Open fire-places, 165 ; the advantages of, 
166. 

Opium, the use of, 233 ; antidote for, 
369. 

Orange-cake, 86; marmalade, 97; jelly, 
98; peel, 107. 

Ornamental froth, 98. 

Ornamentation of a house, 128. 

Orphan asylum at Albany, treatment of 
children in the, 401. 

Oyster plant, or salsify, to cook, 61. 

Oysters, stewed, fried, fritters, scalloped, 
broiled, omelet, pickled, 58 ; roast, 59. 

Ox-muzzle made into an ornament, 196. 

Oxygen, amount of in full-grown man, 
150. 

Packing and storing articles, 342. 

Panada, 102. 

Pancreas gland, the, 238. 

Pan dowdy, 76. 

Paper to keep preserves, 123. 

Paralysis of portion of the brain, 206. 

Parlor cheaply furnished, 195. 

Parsley, as a garnish. 111. 

Parsnips, how to cook, 62. 

Partridges, to boil, 45. 

Paste for puddings and pies shouldbe ban- 
ished from every table, 83 ; pie-crusts, 
83 ; directions for making rich pie- 
crusts, 84. 

Patties of green corn, like oysters, 82. 



INDEX. 



479 



Pea (green or dried) soap, 3T. 

Peaches, pickled, 52 ; in pie, 79 ; how to 
preserve, 91. 

Pearl barley-water, 102. 

Pearl bailey and pearl wheat, how pur- 
chased and kept, 105. 

Pearl wheat or cracked wheat, 71. 

Pears, to preserve, 92. 

Peppers, pickled, 53. 

Perspiration tubes, length of, 237. 

Philadelphia, death-rate of, 163. 

Philanthropy, instances of true, 3S0. 

Phin, Professor, on lighting houses, 326. 

Phosphorus, antidote for, 368. 

Pickle for cold fish, 69. 

Pickled oysters, 53. 

Pickles, general directions, 52, 110 ; sweet, 
tomatoes, peaches, 52 ; peppers, nastur- 
tions, onions, gherkins, mushrooms, cu- 
cumbers, walnuts, 53; mangoes, cab- 
bage, martinoes, cucumbers, 54; Indi- 
ana, cauliflower, or broccoli, 55 ; never 
keep in glazed ware, 106. 

Pictures, the hanging of, 332. 

Pie, potato, 48. 

Pie-crusts, 83, 84. 

Piece-bag, a, 146. 

Pies— meat, mutton, beef, chicken, rice- 
chicken, 48. 

Pigeons, to boil, 45. 

Pigs, benefited by cleanliness, 241. 

Pilaff, or Turkish stew, 32. 

Pillau, a favorite dish in the South, 44. 

Pine-apples, to preserve, 92. 

Pitch, to remove spots of, 120. 

Plain cake, raised with eggs, 87. 

Planting flower and garden seeds, 350. 

Plum pie, 79. 

Plum pudding, cracker, 82. 

Plums, to preserve, 92. 

Poisons, antidotes for certain, 367. 

Pop-overs, of corn-meal, 76. 

Pork, divisions of a hog, 21 ; selection of, 
21; to salt, 24, 25; broiled, 50; fresh, 
110. 

Potash soap, to make, 115. 

Potato, various modes of cooking, 60; 
soup, 36 ; pie, 48 ; biscuit, 69 ; yeast, 66 ; 
starch pudding, 78. 

Pot aufeu, or French stew, 32, 

Pot-pie— beef, veal, or chicken, 47. 

Poultry, selection of, 21 ; when and how 
to be killed, 22 ; boiled, 110 ; care of, 
311. 



Pound-cake, 87. 

Precocity, juvenile, 295. 

Preserves and jellies, general directions, 
90 ; how to keep, 108. 

Preserving fruit-trees, 360. 

Propagation of plants, 353. 

Property, on using properly, 378. 

Pruning, 356. 

Prussic acid, antidote for, 368. 

Puddings and pies, 74 ; queen of all pud- 
dings, 75 ; flour puddings, flour and 
fruit, rusk and milk, rusk, 75 ; meat and 
rusk (one easily made), pan dowdy, corn- 
meal, pop-overs, best apple-pie, rice pud- 
ding, 76 ; bread and fruit pudding, boil- 
ed-fruit pudding, English curd pudding, 
common apple-pie, plain custard, mush 
or hasty pudding, 77 ; stale bread, ren- 
net custard, bird'snest pudding, minute 
pudding of potato starch, tapioca pud- 
ding, cocoa-nut pudding, 78 ; pumpkin- 
pie, ripe-fruit pies, mock cream, pud- 
ding of fruit and bread - crumbs, bread 
and apple dumplings, Indian pudding 
without eggs, boiled Indian and suet 
puddings, 79 ; dessert of rice and fruit, 
rice and apple, rich flour pudding, 80 ; 
apple-pie, 80 ; spiced apple-tarts, baked 
Indian pudding, apple custard, maca- 
roni or vermicelli puddings, green-corn 
pudding, bread pudding for invalids, 
81 ; a good pudding, loaf pudding, lem- 
on pudding, green-corn patties, cracker 
plum pudding, bread-and-butter pud- 

^ ding, 82 ; sauces for puddings, 82 ; paste 
for puddings and pies, 83. 

Pumpkin and squash, how to cook, 62 ; 
bread, 68 ; pie, 79 ; preserved, 94. 

Puritans, descendants of the, 262. 

Pyramid for a table, 99. 

Quantity, measures of, 28. 
Queen of all puddings, 75. 
Quinces, to preserve, 91 ; jelly, 91 ; mar- 
malade, 94. 

Radiation of heat, 165. 

Radishes, to prepare, 62. 

Raisins, to purchase and keep, 107. 

Ranges, cooking, 182, et seq. 

Raspberries, how grown, 358. 

Raspberry jam, 93 ; whisk, 90 ; vinegar, 

101. 
Rats and mice, to get rid of, 124. 



480 



INDEX. 



Heading for the young, suitable, 446. 

Reflection of heat, 165. 

Relief, bestowing, 3S5. 

Religion, power of, in the household, 2S0 ; 
of servants, 43S. 

Religious training in the family, 414, et 
seq. 

Rennet, to prepare, 23 ; custard, 7S ; Avine, 
78 ; whey, 102. 

Reserve power of the body, 162. 

Rice, modes of using, 73 ; as stew, 32 ; with 
cold -meat hash, 39, 41; for breakfast 
and supper, 70 ; -waflles, 73 ; pudding, 
76 ; and fruit dessert, SO ; how to pur- 
chase and keep, 105 ; plain boiled, 110. * 

Right use of time and property, 370, et 
seq. 

Roast oysters, 59. 

Roast and baked meats— beef, to roast, in 
a cook - stove, pork, 46 ; mutton, veal, 
poultry, pot-pie of beef, veal, or chicken, 
47; mutton and beef pie, chicken -pie, 
rice chicken-pie, potato-pie, calfs head, 
48. 

Rolls, of corn-meal, 69. 

Rooms, the care of, 330. 

Rose-bushes, budding, 355. 

Roses and other plants, how to treat, 123. 

Royal crumpets, 72. 

Rules for setting a table, 337. 

Rusk puddings, 75. 

Rusk and milk, 75. 

Rusk and meat puddings, 76. 

Rust from knives, to keep, 122. 

Rye, how purchased and kept, 105. 

Rye and Indian bread, 6S. 

Rye or corn meal for breakfast or supper, 
70. 

Sachem's head corn-cake, 73. 

Sago, how purchased and kept, 105. 

Salad, chicken, 96 ; a dressing for, 57. 

Sally Lunn, improved, 72. 

Salsify, or oyster-plant, 61. 

Salt, to purchase and keep, 106. 

Salt, to meats, 22 ; to beef, 23 ; to fish, 23 ; 
for animals, 307. 

Salt herrings, 51. 

Salted provisions must be watched, lOS. 

Sal volatile, how preserved, 108. 

Sassafras jelly, 102. 

Sauces — milk and egg, drawn butter, mint, 
cranberry, apple, walnut or butternut 
catsup, 56 ; mock capers, salad dressing, 



57; tomato catsup, 57; for puddings, 
liquid, 82 ; hard, a healthful, an excel- 
lent, 83. 

Sausages, to prepare cases, 26 ; meat, 26 ; 
bologna, 26. 

Scalloped oysters, 58. 

Scallops, to cook, 59. 

Science and training needful to women, 
127. 

Scissors, lessons in use of, 362. 

Scorched articles, how to whiten, 119. 

Screws, movable, 136. 

Scrofula, produced by foul air, 158. 

Sea-sickness aggravated by bad air, 159. 

Seasoning, difficulty of directing as to, 28. 

Secreting organs, the, 238. 

Selection of meats, poultry, and fish, 18- 
22. 

Servants, training and government of, 
130 ; the care of, 424, et seq. 

Sewing, hints on, 361 ; in public schools, 
362. 

Sewing-machines, 364. 

Sheep, care of, 310. 

Shelter for animals, 306. 

Sick, drinks and articles for the, 100 ; care 
of, 313, et seq. 

Silk, directions for ironing, 119 ; to reno- 
vate black, 123. 

Silk kerchiefs and ribbons, to clean ; silk 
hose and gloves, to clean, 121. 

Silver, to clean, 123. 

Simple drinks, 101. 

Sirup for sweetmeats, 91. 

Sisters of Charity, 322. 

Skin, the human, 235; functions of, 154; 
laws of health for, 456. 

Sleeping-rooms, ventilation in, 177. 

Smoke hams, how to, 26. 

Smoked tongues, to boil, 44. 

Smoky chimneys, cause and remedy, 
190. 

Snow, a dish of, 99. 

Snow for eggs, 123. 

Soap, to imrchase and keep, 107 ; to make 
soft soap, 116. 

Social duties and amusements, 440, et seq. 

Soda, to purchase and keep, 107. 

Soda biscuits, 69. 

Soft soap, to make, 116. 

Soil for pot-plants, to prepare, 349. 

Soups— general directions for making, 35; 
potato, green corn, 36 ; plain beef, rich 
beef, green pea, dried bean or pea, clam. 



I 



INDEX. 



481 



37; mutton, French vegetable, plain 
calf s head, 38. 

Souse, 42, 

Soy, a fashionable sauce, 110. 

Spanish olla podrida^ recipe for, 32. 

Spencer (Herbert), on treatment of off- 
spring, 390. 

Spermaceti, to remove spots of, 121. 

Spiced apple-tarts, 81. 

Spices, how purchased and kept, 107. 

Spine, the human, 244 

Split-grafting, 355. 

Sponge-cake, rich, 87 ; plain, 88. 

Sprains, remedies for, 306. 

Sprinkling, folding, and ironing, 118. 

Squash and pumpkin, how to cook, 62 ; 
pie, 79. 

Stains and grease, mixtures for removing, 
119, 120. 

Stale-bread pudding, 78. 

Starch, to purchase and keep, 107 ; to pre- 
pare, 116. 

Starching muslins and laces, 117. 

Steam-coils for warming dwellings, ISO. 

Steam-doctors, 240. 

Stew or soup kettle, 28. 

Stewed oysters, 58. 

Stews, general directions for, 29 ; varie- 
ties of, 30. 

Stimulants unnecessary, 225. 

Stimulating food, 221. 

Stock for soap, 30. 

Store-room, cool and dry place indispens- 
able, 104; plan for a, 141 ; the care of, 
348. 

Stores, providing and care of family, 103. 

Stoves and grates, 324. 

Stoves are. economical, 177; for cooking, 
182 ; durability of the cottage - stove, 
187. 

Stowe's, Mrs., "House and Home Pa- 
pers," 155, 425. 

Strawberries, to preserve, 93 ; the proper 
soil for, 358. 

Strawberry-ice, 96 ; whisk, 90 ; vinegar, 
101. 

Straw-matting for chambers, 332. 

Strong-flavored meats, 110. 

Strychnine, antidote for, 369. 

Succotash, how to cook, 61. 

Suffocation through defective flues, 191. 

Sugar an unwholesome diet, 74. 

Sugars, how purchased and kept, 105. 

Suitable meats and vegetables, 110. 



Supper-dishes, 70-73. 

Sweet herbs, how preserved, 107. 

Sweet potatoes, to cook, 61. 

Sweet-breads, calf 's, 44; broiled, 50. 

Swine, care of, 310. 

System and order, habits of, 281, et seq. 

Table furniture, 336. 
Table manners, 268. 
Tables, art of setting, 109, 336 ; rules for 

setting, 337 ; for dinners, 337 ; waiting 

on, 338. 
Tapioca, how purchased and kept, 105 ; 

as a pudding, 78. 
Tar, to remove spots of, 120. 
Taylor's, Dr. George, movement cure, 207. 
Tea, to make, 100; cream for, 101; the 

purchase of, 107 ; for children, 230 ; as a 

beverage, 231. 
Teeth, laws of health for the, 457. 
Temper, preservation of good, 274, et seq. 
Theatres, regarding, 443. 
Thinning fruit on trees, 356. 
Third bread, 68. 

Tight-lacing, the evils of, 247, et seq. 
Time and property, right use of, 370, et seq. 
Time, on apportioning, 375; on saving, 

376 ; devoted by Jews to religion, 377. 
Tin ware for kitchen, 346. 
Toast and cider, 101. 
Tobacco, the use of, 233. 
Tomatoes, with meat -hash, 40; pickled, 

52 ; excellent way of preparing, 54 ; to 

cook, 62 ; sirup, 102. 
Tongues, to boil smoked, 44. 
Tortures inflicted by fashion, 249. 
Tough beef, how to boil, 43. 
Training necessary for women, 127. 
Transplanting, directions for, 351 ; for 

trees, 352. 
Trials of a housekeeper, 275, et seq. 
Tripe, 42. 

Turkeys, to boil, 45 ; salad, 57. 
Turkish stew, or pilaff, 32. 
Turpentine, to remove spots of, 120. 
Typhoid fever and the microscope, 161. 
Tyranny of servants, 435. 

Unbolted flour to be kept in kegs, 105. 

.Variety at meals, 219. 
Variety of food necessary, 104. 
Varnished articles, to remove stains on, 
121. 



21 



482 



INDEX. 



Veal, season for use, 20 ; divisions of, 20 
selection of, 20; hash, 40; boiled, 44 
roast, 4T; pot -pie of, 47; broiled, 50 
veal cheese, 51 ; broiled with eggs, 111. 

Vegetable food, 217. 

Vegetables — potatoes, 60 ; sweet pota- 
toes, green corn, succotash, salsify, or 
oyster plant, egg plant, carrots, beets, 
61; parsnips, pumpkins, and squash, 
celery, radishes, onions, tomatoes, cu- 
cumbers, cabbage, and cauliflower, 62 ; 
asparagus, macaroni, 63. 

Vegetables should not be boiled in soup, 
35. 

Velvet, directions for ironing, 119. 

Venison or mutton hash, 41. 

Ventilation, importance of, 150, et seq. 

Vermicelli pudding, 81 ; the purchase of, 
105. 

Vermin in animals, 307. 

Waffles of unbolted flour, 72 ; of rice, 73. 

Waiting at table, 338. 

Wall-paper, to cleanse, 123. 

Walnut catsup, 56. 

Walnuts, pickled, 53. 

Ward cases, 196. 

Warmed-over meats made into hash, 41. 

Warming a home, 164. 

Warm plates, 110. 

Washing dishes, 344 ; rules for, 345. 

Washing, ironing, and cleansing, neces- 
saries for, 112 ; common mode of wash- 
ing, 113 ; flannels, bedding, calicoes, 
114 ; use of bran water, 114 ; use of pota- 
to-water, 115; to cleanse broadcloth, 115. 



Wash-leather articles, to clean, 121. 

Water-cure, the, 240. 

Water-gruel, 102. 

Water-melon rinds, to preserve, 94. 

Wax, to remove spots of, 121. 

Weekly apportionment of work, 287. 

Well, to purify a, 123. 

Wheat muffins, 72. ^ 

Whiten articles, to, 119. 

White tea, and boys' coffee, 101. 

Whip-grafting, 355. 

Whip syllabub, 97. 

Wine jelly, 96. 

Wine whey, 101. 

Women, courtesy to, 264. 

Wood, a cord and a load of, 324. 

Wooden ware for kitchen, 347. 

Wood- work of a house, 148. 

Yeast, brewers' or distillers', the best, hop 
and potato yeast, hard yeast, 66. 

Young children, management of, in the 
Orphan Asylum at Albany, 401 ; effects 
of eating too often, 402 ; the intellectual 
training of, 402 ; habits of submission, 
403 ; self-denial, 404 ; sensitiveness, 405 ; 
unsteadiness in, and over-government, 
406 ; multiplication of rules, 407 ; govern 
by rewards, avoid angry tones, 408 ; 
moral habits, 410 ; cultivation of habits 
of modesty, 411 ; treatment of forbidden 
topics, 411; purity of thought, 412; warn- 
ing to parents, 413. 

Young girl, dressing properly a, 251. 

Zymotic diseases, 161. 



INDEX. 



YALUABLE STANDARD WORKS 

FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIBRARIES, 
Published by HARPER <fc BROTHERS, New Yoek. 



For a full List of Books suitable for Libraries, see Hahpee & Beothees' Teade- 
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l^" Haepeb & Beotubes tvill send any of the following works by mail, postage prepaid, 
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MOTLEY'S UNITED NETHERLANDS, History of the United Netherlands : from 
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NAPOLEON'S LIFE OP CiESAR. The History of Julius Cjesar. By His Imperial 
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— LivY (2 vols.). 

DAVIS'S CARTHAGE. Carthage and her Remains : being an Account of the Exca^ 
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Journey from Teheran across the Turkoman Desert, on the Eastern Shore of the 

Caspian, to Khiva, Bokharfi, and Samarcand, performed in the Year 1803. By 

.-^ Arminius VAMuiRY, Member of the Hungarian Academy of Pesth, by whom he 

* was sent on this Scientific Mission. With Map and Woodcuts. Svo, Cloth, $4 50. 

WOOD'S HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. Homes Without Hands : bein^ a Descrip- 
tion of the Habitations of Animals, classed according to their Principle of Con- 
struction. "rJy J. G. Wood, M.A., F.L.S. With about 140 Illustrations. Svo, 
Cloth, Boveled Edges, $4 a#| i>| 1 ^ /J T^ 




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